BENGALURU:The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is protesting against Amnesty International and demanding its ban, launched an overnight agitation at the Gandhi statute near Maurya Circle here on Saturday.
Hundreds of students gathered near the Circle and some BJP MLAs too extended their support. Former deputy chief minister R Ashok, MLAs Ashwath Narayan and B N Vijay Kumar, MLC Tara and former MLC P V Krishna Bhat were there to support them.
Even members of retired defence personnels’ associations and advocates extended their support to the protest. Addressing the gathering, ABVP National General Secretary Vinay Bidre said, “We will not give up our fight. Amnesty International’s representatives have had a secret meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah before conducting a press conference on Friday. This shows they were supported by the government.”
“While addressing the press conference, the representatives did not even bother to apologise for organising such an event. The government is trying everything to suppress our protest. The police have forcibly taken complaint from a college principal saying our activists forcefully took the students to protest. We will not bend to all these tactics and will continue our fight against anti-nationals,” Bidre said.
Sexual harassment plaint
The girl students who were injured in the police lathicharge during Friday’s protest have filed a sexual harassment complaint against the police officers with the state Women’s Commission. Veena, an activist who got injured during the lathicharge, said, “In the name of lathicharge, police officers who were present at the spot sexually harassed us. We demand the authorities to initiate action against them.”
