Hyderabad, April 18: In protest against police harassment of youths belonging to majority community after communal clashes, BJP State unit today organised protest rallies and dharnas across the State. Alleging partiality by police in regard to booking of cases and harassing Hindu youths post-communal clashes in the first week of this month, the BJP State unit held demonstrations in front of the district collectorates demanding withdrawal of cases foisted against their workers. In the State capital, over 200 BJP activists including leaders were taken into preventive custody when they held dharna before the city police commissionerate here.
The party workers raised slogans against the police and the Government condemning the partiality of the police who arrested Hindu youths instead of real culprits responsible for communal clashes. A large number of police were deployed in front the Police Commissioner’s office.
BJP State president and MLA G Kishan Reddy, gene r a l secretary N Ramachander Rao, former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya and party’s national secretary K Laxman were among those taken into custody by the police.
Earlier, speaking to media at the dharna site, Kishan Reddy alleged that the city police commissioner AK Khan was acting on the direction of MIM and harassing the BJP activists. Protest rallies were organised by BJP district units from Warangal, Mahabubnagar and Karimnagar.
–Agencies