The News Minute | February 11, 2015 | 3.38 pm ISTBengaluru police deployed more personnel than the maximum fine charged for the offence that Praveen Togadia allegedly committed.After all the drama that the VHP and its International Working President Praveen Togadia enacted in the days leading up to the Virat Hindu Sammelana and on the day of the event, the Bengaluru police finally registered an FIR.Read: Togadia is not welcome in person or virtually: Bangalore policeWhile prohibiting Togadia from addressing the rally by any means – either physical or electronic form – the city police cited several reasons, including the 19 cases he has against him in several states. The police also noted that the likelihood of Togadia making provocative speeches and the possibility of hurting religious sentiments was high.Just a couple of days before the sammelan was due to be held in Bengaluru, a scuffle broke out in Koppal district just after a Virat Hindu Sammelan. On January 17, violence broke out in Puttur, a town near Mangalore after a public meeting addressed by Togadia.Read: RSS leader urges Hindus to carry knives, swords to "save Hindu Samaja"On the day of the sammelan, 1,800 police personnel were deployed to ensure the maintenance of law and order in the city. After the evening show, there was a night drama as well. Read about the Praveen Togadia Kempegowda International Airport saga, where the police chased him etc. There was almost a Tom and Jerry ring to it.On evening of the sammelan, The Hindu reports that the intelligence wing had asked police to deploy personnel inside the media control room, but the police did not. An officer who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity, said that the police had deliberately been lenient as a strategy to avoid any possibility of the crowds turning violent. In the complaint, Togadia and two others have been booked for violating Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. No arrests have been made yet, but if he gets convicted, here’s the punishment he stands to get under Section 188.A person can be booked under this provision if someone willfully and knowingly disobeys a government order. The punishment upon conviction depends on the outcome of such disobedience:If it results in “injury” or “annoyance”, then a fine of Rs 200 or a month of simple imprisonment, or both, are prescribed.If such disobedience threatens another person’s life, or tends to cause a riot, the punishment is more severe: six months of simple imprisonment and Rs 1000 in fine, or both. The maximum punishment in terms of fine, for the event is less than the number of police personnel deployed in the city. Perhaps the law needs a re-think.Tweet