Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd as ABVP activists continued their agitation in front of Amnesty International India office in Bengaluru on Friday, demanding arrest of those who allegedly raised anti-India slogans at an Amnesty event.
“Several ABVP activists were injured, with a girl student fainting,before she was rushed to hospital,” police said, adding they detained many during the crackdown on the protest.
Additional Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru East, Harishekaran said police had to disperse protesters as they tried to burn an effigy in a residential area. “We had warned them in advance against any effigy burning," he said.
However the ABVP agitators alleged police behaved in an "inhuman" way and more than 10 ABVP activists were injured in the lathicharge.
ABVP National General Secretary Vinay Bidre said, "We demanded that police evict Amnesty International staff who were recording our protest from their office. We told police we won't cause any harm to them. We did not try to barge into their premises and tried to burn Amnesty's effigy, but police unnecessarily used force on us."
He accused the Congress-led Karnataka Government and police of protecting those involved in anti-national sloganeering, of which a video was submitted. He said ABVP would continue its protest till those who raised anti-India slogans were arrested. Bidre said "We will intensify our protest across the State after today's atrocity, we will show this Government student power."
Home Minister Parameshwara told newspersons that police have filed an FIR and a probe is in progress and unless it is completed, action to arrest cannot be taken.
Meanwhile as a precautionary step, police have asked Amnesty India to keep its office in Bengaluru closed until the ABVP protest subsides.