The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the BJP have taken to the streets in several locations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, demanding that that externment order issued against controversial Hindu seer Swami Paripoornananda be revoked.
Swami Paripoornananda was externed from Hyderabad for six months by the Hyderabad Police, just two days after the city police externed film critic Mahesh Kathi. The two developments came following Mahesh Kathi's alleged derogatory comments on the Ramayana.
In Hyderabad's Kukatpally, Koti and at RTC X Roads, the VHP staged a rasta roko amidst tight police security, demanding the order be revoked. revoke of orders, However, the activists were later removed.
In several locations of Telangana such as Kamareddy, Banswada, Karimnagar, Siddipet and Warangal, VHP and BJP leaders took out a rally in support of Swami Paripoornananda.
BJP MLC N Ramchander Rao was detained in Chilakalguda in Hyderabad, along with several other VHP and BJP leaders while staging a dharna for the same demand.
Another BJP leader, Raghunandan Rao, was also detained in Siddipet’s Bhoompally before he started his dharna.
In Andhra Pradesh, the districts of Nellore, Guntur and Kurnool districts also saw protests and road blockades by Hindu organisations.
Speaking to TNM, Telangana BJP spokesperson Raghunandan Rao condemned the arrests and called police action “undemocratic”.
"The externment order must be withdrawn immediately and Swami Paripoornananda should not be restricted," he added.
Raghunandan also claimed that they are going to approach court over the ban.
Earlier this week, BJP MLA Kishan Reddy and BJP state president Dr K Laxman were detained after they marched to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s official residence, demanding that the externment order be revoked.
Following Mahesh Kathi’s remarks, Swami Paripoornananda said that he will go to any extent to ensure Mahesh Kathi is arrested for humiliating Hindu sentiments. Once Mahesh Kathi was externed, the police faced criticism for taking action against him, Many questioned the police as to action was not taken against the seer, who had made several controversial statements in the past.
Following this, the Hyderabad police externed Swami Paripoornananda from the city as well, and said they had evidence of his attempts to create communal tension in the state.