BJP Yuva Morcha national president and MP Tejasvi Surya has been detained along with other BJP leaders by the Rajasthan police after they tried to visit violence-hit Karauli. The young MP was accompanied by BJP Rajasthan president Satish Poonia and several supporters when the state police stopped them at the Dausa border. Mr Surya had earlier tweeted a picture announcing his visit and calling for people to reach there.
Calling on party workers and supporters who are accompanying him, Mr Surya asked them if they were ready to fight for the nation to a rousing "yes".
"At any cost, we will go to Karauli. We will try to go peacefully. If the police try to stop us, we will collective court arrest and detention," he said to a cheering crowd.
Reacting to the step taken by police officials, the BJP MP said that the 'dictatorial government' is 'snatching their rights'.
"Section 144 is not in place at where we are now...It's our constitutional right to go to Karauli. This dictatorial government is snatching our rights, which is why we are protesting," the BJP MP said according to news agency PTI.
The Jaipur district administration had on Saturday imposed Section 144 CrPC till May 9 and suspended the gathering of crowds, protests, assemblies and processions without prior permission in the entire rural and urban area. It has also prohibited any objectionable sloganeering and singing or demonstration of similar activities.
Barricades have been erected to prevent the group from entering. Mr Surya has accused the Congress-led state government of barring the BJP from visiting the riot-hit area and said he would not stop until he reaches there. Supporters could be seen trying to cross the barricade and raising slogans against the Rajasthan government.
Karauli saw clashes between two communities on April 2. A curfew was imposed for over a week, till April 12, considering the law and order situation.
The curfew was imposed after incidents of arson and vandalism on Saturday in the wake of stone-pelting at a bike rally on Nav Samvatsar (Hindu New Year), which was passing through a Muslim-dominated area. The police said when the procession was passing through a sensitive area, those in the rally raised "provocative" slogans, which fueled a mob attack with stones leaving 11 injured, including 8 policemen.
Shops and residences were burnt and the city was under curfew for over a week.
The rally was taken out by right-wing organisations, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bajrang Dal, police had said.
Police arrested 46 people and took seven others in custody for interrogation after the communal violence, Inspector General of Police Prashan Kumar Khamesra of Bharatpur range told news agency PTI.
The Karauli clashes have become a political flashpoint for the Ashok Gehlot government as the BJP is keen on keeping the focus on the issue to put the state government on the backfoot in matters of law and order.
The situation is now returning to normal but the BJP delegation led by Tejasvi Surya could further ignite the issue and the state government had stationed additional troops in Karauli ahead of the BJP delegation reaching the town.
Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje also visited Karauli on Tuesday.
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