Togadia set to defy ban, record ‘Hindu’ protest

VHP’s international general secretary Praveen Togadia will defy the district collector’s ban and arrive here on Saturday to addres...

VHP’s international general secretary Praveen Togadia will defy the district collector’s ban and arrive here on Saturday to address a Hindu rights declaration rally, as scheduled.

Organiser of the rally, Hindu Aikya Vedi, said Togadia had confirmed his visit, terming the order ‘‘undemocratic and a violation of citizens’ rights. Togadia had been banned from entering the city from April 9 to May 10 on grounds that he could provoke communal sentiments.

Vedi state general secretary Kummanam Rajasekharan said if the ban was for reasons related to the Lok Sabha elections, it was the responsibility of

the Election Commission, not the Government, to act. The Aikya Vedi will observe April 10 as ‘Hindu Matha Swathantra Dinam’ in protest against the ban which amounted to ‘‘suppression of rights of the Hindu community’’, he said.

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Chief Minister A.K. Antony today said there was nothing wrong in barring Togadia from entering Thiruvanthapuram on the basis of Intelligence reports that his visit would create problems. Antony said the collector could not be blamed for the decision especially in the light of Togadia’s earlier visit to Marad where he violated the conditions laid down by the police. ‘‘Why should we invite trouble by allowing Togadia to set foot in the city?’’ he said.

Kummanam said the ban was an example of the state government’s appeasement of religious fundamentalist elements. ‘‘The atmosphere in the state is not communally tense and there is no justification for such a ban. The reasons cited for the ban were imaginary,’’ he said.

The police have decided to take all steps to prevent the entry of Togadia to the city. ‘‘We are bound to implement the order of the collector. Stern action will be taken against any attempt to violate the order,’’ Thiruvananthapuram DIG Arun Kumar Sinha told The Indian Express.

District Collector K.R. Muraleedharan yesterday issued orders banning Togadia’s entry in Thiruvananthapuram under Section 144 of CrPC on the basis of a report by the city police chief Rajan Singh citing precedents of Togadia’s speech sparking off communal tensions in several parts of the country.