Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Feb 12: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) southern province organizing secretary, Gopal Bhat, was detained at Belagavi on Wednesday February 11 in connection to the playing of video recording of VHP president Pravin Togadia's address at Hindu Samajotsava held at National College ground at Basavanagudi here on February 8 in spite of ban placed on it.

However, following intense pressure from VHP and RSS activists, he was released in no time.

Gopal had been to Belagavi to participate in the preliminary meeting relating to Hindu Samajotsava being organized there on March 1. When Gopal was holding meeting with others at the VHP office in Samarasata Bhavan in Belagavi Shastrinagar, a special police team from Shankarapura Bengaluru led by assistant commissioner of police, Suresh, arrived there at around 1 pm along with some local police. The team which took Gopal with it said he was being taken to Khadebazar police station in that city.

VHP and RSS activists observed that the police vehicle took some other route and moved out of the city instead of heading to Khadebazar police station in the city. It was clear that they were trying to take him to the airport for onward journey to Bengaluru. They stopped the police van at Ashoka Circle near Fort Lake and held protest. Although the police then said that Gopal was taken into custody relating to the Bengaluru case, they failed to produce arrest warrant. The police were forced to take Gopal to the office of the city commissioner.

As such, activists of Hindu organizations led by Belagavi MP, Suresh Angadi, advocate, Ramesh Deshpande, Kiran Jadhav, Deepak Jamkhandi and other leaders met Belagavi city police commissioner, S Ravi, and brought pressure on him for the release of Gopal. They insisted that Gopal's detention was illegal, and promised to produce him before Bengaluru police as and when required.

The police, who were under immense pressure, released Gopal thereafter. The activists have assured the police that Gopal would be back in Bengaluru on Thursday.