(Eds: Updating with Togadia's quotes)Ahmedabad, Jan 16 (PTI) VHP leader Pravin Togadia, whobriefly went missing yesterday, today charged that "somepeople" were trying to stifle his voice and that he was notallowed to speak on issues like Ram Temple, farmers and cowslaughter.
A tearful Togadia, 62, made the allegations at a pressconference, where he also said that he went into hiding as hefeared police will kill him in an encounter.
"I am being targeted for a decade-old case, there is anattempt to suppress my voice. Rajasthan Police team came toarrest me. Someone told me plan was being made to kill me inan encounter," Togadia claimed.
Togadia, who went missing yesterday after RajasthanPolice came to arrest him in a ten-year old case and was laterfound admitted to a hospital in unconscious state, claimedthat attempts were being made to silence him for raising thevoice of the Hindu community.
The VHP leader said he will surrender before the courtin Rajasthan after he is discharged from hospital.
"Yesterday morning, I was performing pooja, when messagescame that a large contingent of Rajasthan Police, along withGujarat Police, was coming to encounter me (kill me in anencounter)," Togadia claimed.
"After informing my security guards, I, along with a VHPworker, took an auto-rickshaw, and went to Theltej area of thecity. I called up Rajasthan chief minister (Vasundhara Raje)and home minister (Gulabchand Kataria) but they denied theirpolice had come to Gujarat to arrest me. This raised moresuspicion and I switched off my mobile phones," he said.
"I contacted lawyers of Rajasthan and told them to getthe arrest warrant cancelled. But they said that it wasdifficult as court issued it. So I decided to go to Jaipur bytaking a flight and appear before the court (in Gangaput),"he said.
"However, when I was going in the auto-rickshaw to theairport, I felt dizzy and asked the driver to take me to somehospital. Then I fell unconscious. When I regainedconsciousness, I was at an unknown hospital," he said.
"I do not fear death, I do not fear encounter. But I hadto protect myself while following the law of the land," hesaid.
"I have been raising my voice for Hindus. I am raisingissues like Ram temple, national law to ban cow slaughter,re-settlement of Kashmiri Hindus in that state, giving farmersfair price for their crops. But an attempt is being made tosilence my voice," he said.
"Old cases are being reopened, so that I can be arrested.
An attempt is being made to stifle my voice by arresting me indifferent states," he said.
To a query, Togadia said he would reveal the names ofthose behind the plot to silence his voice, at the right time.
"Rajasthan Police had come to arrest me, but the chiefminister and home minister of that state were not aware aboutit. Same way it happened in Gujarat. When Gujarat courtissued a warrant against me, the chief minister (Vijay Rupani)here, or home minster (Pradeepsinh Jadeja) were not awareabout it," he said.
"On whose orders are police is taking such action willbe revealed by me at an appropriate time and with evidence,"Togadia said.
An arrest warrant was issued by Ahmedabad court recentlyagainst Togadia and he had appeared in the court on January 6to get it cancelled.
He also claimed that CBI was threatening doctorsassociated with VHP.
The mystery over Togadia's disappearance yesterday hasdeepened, with a senior police officer maintaining thatneither the local Sola police nor Rajasthan Police hadarrested him.
The VHP had yesterday claimed that Togadia was detainedby Rajasthan Police in connection with the case, but thelatter denied this.
Sola police station officials said a team of RajasthanPolice visited them yesterday to execute an arrest warrantagainst Togadia under Section 188 (disobedience to order dulypromulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),but could not find him at his residence.
According to a statement issued yesterday by the VHP inDelhi after Togadia was found, Togadia, who suffered from lowblood sugar levels, was found in an unconscious state inShahibaug area and was taken to Chandramani Hospital locatedin the same area.
VHP workers had taken to the streets yesterday and haltedtraffic and held demonstrations after their leader wasuntraceable. PTI PD VTDV.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.