Police should understand that PFI and Bajrang Dal are not same: Sharan Pumpwell

Mangaluru, Nov 20: Bajrang Dal leader Sharan Pumpwell has urged the police not to treat the activists of saffron groups and PFI equally as according to him Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal are patriotic and nationalist organisations.

Speaking at a preparatory convention for upcoming Udupi Dharma Samsad at the Ramakrishna College ground in Mangaluru on Sunday evening, he said: “We have been raising voice against injustice. However, the police are considering Bajrang Dal and PFI as same. They are levelling murder charges against us and are booking our activists under Goonda Act to suppress us."

"The blood of Shivaji is flowing in our body and not that of Tipu. Those who have the blood of Tipu in them are engaged in pelting stones at the police commissioner's office," he said.

VHP Prantha working president M B Puranik called upon the Bajrang Dal activists to make Dharma Samsad at Udupi a grand success.

Cops thwart bike rally

Prior to this, the city police prevented the members of Bajrang Dal from carrying out a motorbike rally till the convention venue. Enraged over the incident, the Bajrang Dal activists held a meeting sitting on the two-wheelers.

The police also asked the organisers to complete the convention by 5 p.m. The activists were ready to take out the rally from Kadri Kambala Road, Ambedkar Circle and PVS Circle in the city, but were prevented by the police.

Later, the activists reached the venue separately as per the conditions laid down by the police.

The activists listened to the main speech by sitting on the motorbikes for one and a half hours. Even after the convention, they were not allowed to carry out a procession. The police sent them out of the venue, in a group of 10 persons each after the programme.