TUMAKURU: Close on the heels of an attack on a Bajrang Dal leader that had triggered tension in October, former minister and BJP leader Sogadu Shivanna here on Sunday allegedly assaulted VHP district president GK Srinivas for not letting him hold a parade of pilgrims heading to Datta Peeta.
Nearly a thousand devotees from RSS and BJP had gathered at the Townhall Circle to board buses. Shivanna, a four-time MLA, insisted that the devotees take out a 2-km padayatra up to Anjaneya Temple at Gubbi Gate, where Bajrang Dal leader Manju Bhargav was attacked on October 19, before they boarded the buses to Datta Peeta in Chikkamagaluru district.
But Srinivas allegedly stopped the devotees, saying no police permission had been taken to take out the march. Shivanna not only badmouthed Srinivas, but also assaulted him. "Srinivas has been dividing the Hindu community and is hand-in-glove with the police," Shivanna fumed. The video of the incident went viral on social networking sites.
It is said that Manju Bhargav wanted to take out the march and Shivanna readily agreed to it. Sources said that Shivanna is eyeing a BJP ticket to contest from the Tumakuru City Assembly segment in the 2023 polls and has been organising pro-Hindu events.