Mangaluru: Cong delegation denied permission to meet injured, bereaved families, detained at airport

Mangaluru, Dec 20: A delegation of senior Congress leaders who landed in the city to meet those injured and bereaved families of the two deceased during the violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act here were denied permission and detained at the airport.

Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also had to cancel his trip to Mangaluru from Bengaluru on getting information that the chartered aircraft he was to take was denied permission to land at the airport.

The delegation included Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council S R Patil, former Home Minister and MLA M B Patil, former Speaker and MLA K R Ramesh Kumar and former MP V S Ugrappa. Ugrappa and Ramesh Kumar engaged in heated arguments with officials, who tried to move them into a police vehicle.

Speaking to reporters, S R Patil called the government's act to "stop them" as undemocratic and "resembled Hitler rule". "We are public representatives. I'm the Leader of the Opposition in the Council. We wanted to meet those injured and affected by violence and instill confidence among the people of Mangaluru and also appeal for peace, which would have helped the government in turn," he said.

"If there are prohibitory orders I can go alone and meet...nothing should stop me, I'm the LoP, its a breach of my privilege," he added.

Condemning the police action of not letting his party colleagues enter Mangaluru, Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru said: "We have the right to talk to people there....try to know the truth... it is undemocratic and unconstitutional." He alleged that the Yediyurappa led BJP government was trying to turn Karnataka into another Kashmir.

All the rights enshrined in the Constitution have been curtailed and Congress leaders who arrived here to see the situation for themselves were detained at Mangaluru airport,he said "I condemn this act to silence us," he said. The Congress leader also condemned the decision not to allow his chartered flight to land in Mangaluru and termed it as "suppression" of his right.

"I had to go to Mangaluru by a chartered flight at 2 PM. Police have no right.. they told the airport authority that no chartered flight can land or take off. It is a suppression of my right and a murder of democracy."

Meanwhile Mangaluru MLA and former minister U T Khader, former MLA Mohiudeen Bava and MLCs B M Farook and Ivan DSouza visited Wenlock hospital where the post-mortem of the two killed in police firing is being done Jaleel Kudroli (49) and Nausheen (23) received bullet injuries in police firing on Thursday and later succumbed at a hospital. Later, speaking to reporters, Khader said they had urged people to co-operate with the administration in maintaining peace and requested that curfew be lifted from 12.15 PM to 2.15 PM for Friday prayers, to which authorities had agreed. The funeral of the two people killed would be held on Friday at 5 PM, he said.