Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.PC) prohibits any assembly of five or more people in an area where it has been imposed. Every member of such “unlawful assembly” can be booked for “engaging in rioting,” maximum punishment for which is three years.

Mysuru: In a rare battle of wits and attrition between the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP, our city will be under siege from tomorrow as the Police will impose a 48-hour Section 144 across city limits from 6 am tomorrow till 6 am on Sept. 8.

The tough action comes in the wake of BJP Yuva Morcha’s plans to hold a massive ‘Mangaluru Chalo’ bike rally where the rallyists will converge in Mangaluru on Sept. 7. BJP leaders, including State Chief B.S. Yeddyurappa, will address a public meeting there. In Mysuru, the rally is scheduled to begin tomorrow and will proceed via Periyapatna, Kushalnagar, Madikeri, Sullia, Puttur and Bantwal to reach Mangaluru.

The BJP has planned to mobilise 20,000 of its youth workers from across the State for the bike rally to the coastal town of Mangaluru to protest “political killings of Hindus” in the region in the last couple of years. Police in multiple districts including Mandya, Kolar, Bengaluru, Hassan, Hubballi, Chikkamagaluru, Mangaluru, Ballari, Udupi and Chamarajanagar have denied permission citing security concerns but the party has vowed to go ahead with its rally.

In Mysuru too, as the Police announced that it will impose a 48-hour Section 144, BJP members countered that they will go ahead with the bike rally at 10 am from Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple where over 1,500 bikers will leave for Mangaluru.

ROWDY SHEET

Speaking to reporters at his office this morning, City Police Commissioner Dr. A Subramanyeshwara Rao, flanked by Deputy Commissioner of Police (law and order) N. Vishunuvardhana and DCP (crime and traffic) Dr. Vikram V. Amathe, said that the Section 144 will cover the city limits and no unlawful assembly will be allowed for   48 hours.

“We have 3,000 policemen to prevent the bike rally. If BJP workers violate Section 144 they will be arrested and rowdy sheets will be opened against them. All the arrested will be booked under non-bailable cases and will be shifted to other jails across the State. Their vehicles will be seized and getting them released will not be an easy task,” the Police Commissioner warned. Also, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax department will be informed about the money being spent on the rally, he added.

LAW AND ORDER ISSUE

Admitting that the BJP Yuva Morcha had applied for permission to take out a rally that involved 1,500 bikes, the city top cop said that the application reached him on Aug. 30 and accordingly, a notice seeking explanation was served on Yuva Morcha. “In our analysis, we found that the 340-km rally via Mysuru would pass through communally-sensitive areas and it will be a huge law and order problem. The rally, if permitted, would cause communal tension” he said, justifying Police action.

BJP HELL BENT ON RALLY

The BJP is all set for a confrontation with the Police as they (BJP) is hell bent on taking out the rally from Kote Anjaneya Swamy Temple at 10 am tomorrow.  Addressing a press conference at Pathrakarthara Bhavan this morning, City BJP President Dr. B.H. Manjunath said that they would go ahead with the rally.

He charged the government with trying to block a peaceful and democratically-carried out rally. “This government is creating communal tension. This is the anti-Hindu policy of government. We want to expose that. The Congress is scared of our protests and is trying to stop us. We are not against Muslims or any religion,” he said.

“Many politically-motivated killings have taken place in Karnataka where 24 persons were killed much on the lines of what has happened in Kerala. We want organisations like PFI and KFD banned,” he said.

The rally will be inaugurated by Union Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda tomorrow. Former Minister S.A. Ramadas, BJP office bearers N.V. Phaneesh, L. Nagendra, Prabhakar Shinde and others were present.