The Mangaluru Police have detained several Congress leaders from Karnataka at the Mangaluru Airport in Bajpe. Former Congress Minister for Higher Education Basavaraj Rayareddy, former Karnataka Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar and former Ballari MP VS Ugrappa were detained by the police at the airport in Bajpe on Friday morning.
MB Patil, MLA from Babaleshwar and former Home Minister MB Patil, MLC Nazeer Ahmed and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council SR Patil were also detained at the airport on Friday.
The police allegedly asked Congress leaders to go back to Bengaluru and did not allow them to step outside the airport. Former Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar.
Ramesh Kumar told the police that he must not be detained as he had not done anything wrong and was not breaking any law. The Congress leaders had arrived in Mangaluru on Friday morning to meet the families of the two people, who died due to police firing on Thursday. The Congress leaders intended to visit Wenlock Hospital, where the bodies of the victims is kept.
Six Congress leaders detained at Mangaluru airport including former Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar. The Congress leaders arrived in the city to meet the families of the two people who died due to police firing on Thursday. #CAA_NRC_Protests @thenewsminute pic.twitter.com/hR5a9iduL7
— Theja Ram (@thejaram92) December 20, 2019
Speaking to TNM, VS Ugrappa said that the Congress leaders have not been allowed to move from the airport.
“We are not allowed to move. We are kept in wrongful detention at the Mangaluru Airport. They have not produced us before the magistrate, they have done this only to prevent us from going out. This is nothing but a dictator attitude of the state government and they have imposed an unofficial emergency. As you know we have a fundamental right to move freely,” VS Ugrappa said.
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was also stopped from boarding a private charter plane to Mangaluru tweeted that he was not allowed to deboard the plane.
ನನ್ನ ಆರೋಗ್ಯಸ್ಥಿತಿಯನ್ನೂ ಲೆಕ್ಕಿಸದೆ,
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 20, 2019
ವೈದ್ಯರವಸಲಹೆಯನ್ನೂ ನಿರ್ಲಕ್ಷಿಸಿ ಗಲಭೆಗ್ರಸ್ತ ಮಂಗಳೂರಿಗೆ ಹೊರಟಿದ್ದೆ.
ಪೊಲೀಸರು ವಿಮಾನ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶೇಷ ವಿಮಾನ ಇಳಿಯಲು ಅನುಮತಿ ನಿರಾಕರಿಸಿ ನನ್ನ ಪ್ರವಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ತಡೆಯೊಡ್ಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ.@BJP4Karnataka ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಏನನ್ನು ಬಚ್ಚಿಡಲು ಹೊರಟಿದೆ?
“Due to ill health, I boarded a private charter plane to Mangaluru. The police are not allowing me to get off the plane in Mangaluru. What is the BJP trying to hide?” Siddaramaiah’s plane was not allowed to land and he returned to Bengaluru on Friday.
Congress MLA from Byatarayanapura and former minister Krishna Byre Gowda called the move a "defacto emergency". "Defacto Emergency-Sri @siddaramaiah, myself & few others were scheduled to fly to Mangalore. Govt cancelled the flight permission. Leaders like Ramesh Kumar have been arrested in MLR. Total lockdown on freedom! So much for BJP which did politics on 1975 Emergency, only to beat it," he said.
Defacto Emergency-Sri @siddaramaiah, myself & few others were scheduled to fly to Mangalore. Govt cancelled the flight permission. Leaders like Ramesh Kumar have been arrested in MLR. Total lockdown on freedom! So much for BJP which did politics on 1975 Emergency, only to beat it
— Krishna Byre Gowda (@krishnabgowda) December 20, 2019