The Bengaluru High Grounds police, on Tuesday, January 23, registered a suo motu case against Karnataka Youth Congress President Mohammed Haris Nalapad and others and charged them for illegally gathering at a public place and creating public nuisance. The Congress members had held a torchlight protest from Congress Bhavan in Bengaluru condemning the assault on Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam on January 21.
The police have booked Nalapad and others stating that they did not get permission for the gathering. The FIR said that the procession tried to take off from the Maurya Circle side, obstructing vehicular traffic. Even though the police announced through a microphone that it was wrong to carry out the procession, the gathering on the road did not disperse and walked with torches, shouted slogans, and behaved dangerously and negligently.
A case has been registered under sections 143 (punishment), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 290 (punishment for public nuisance in cases not otherwise provided for), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offense committed in prosecution of common object) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
A group of men carrying BJP flags had attacked the Congress rally in Assam. Rahul Gandhi was removed from the scene by his security and taken inside the rally van. The men were chanting ‘Jai Sree Ram’ and ‘Modi Modi’ slogans as they heckled Congress members. Nalapad and other Congress members took to the streets to protest this attack.
Rahul Gandhi had posted a video of the incident with the message, “The shop of love is open for everyone, India will unite, India will win.”