The Hindu : Karnataka News : Police may not shift Bharti to Belgaum

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 26, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Police may not shift Bharti to Belgaum

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELGAUM, AUG. 25. The Hubli-Dharwad police are in a dilemma over shifting the BJP leader, Uma Bharti, to the Hindalga Central Jail, near here, as per the initial plan after she was remanded to a 14-day judicial custody by a Hubli court in connection with the 1994 riots in Hubli, on Wednesday. BJP workers and their leaders had made arrangements to accord a "warm welcome" to Ms. Bharti near the jail.

She was supposed to leave Dharwad at about 6 p.m. and arrive here by 7.30 p.m. as per the original plan. But according to the BJP MP for Belgaum, Suresh Angadi, the Hubli-Dharwad police are in two minds over shifting her to Belgaum on health grounds.

Authorities here said Ms. Bharti would be treated as "first class political (undertrial) prisoner." The BJP leader will remain in one of the two rooms readied for her.

The rooms have a cot, a toilet-cum-bathroom, and a television set. She has been allowed to get food from outside even though a separate kitchen has been set up. The food served to Ms. Bharti will be checked.

She has not been allowed to use a mobile phone or have a personal attender. A woman employee at the jail will serve as attender. Three doctors, including a woman, will attend on Ms. Bharti if the need arises.

Earlier, the District and Sessions Judge, M. Chidambar Rao, the Inspector-General of Police (North-Western Range), Harshavardan Raju, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Prisons), B.S. Abbai, and the Superintendent of Police, Hemant Nimbalkar, inspected the jail premises and the room where Ms. Bharti will be detained.

`Facilities bad'

The MP for Belgaum, Suresh Angadi, expressed "dissatisfaction" over the facilities provided for Ms. Bharti.

The leaders who followed Ms. Bharti from Hubli to Belgaum included the President of the State unit of the BJP, H.N. Ananth Kumar, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, B.S. Yediyurappa, and the BJP leader, Jagadish Shettar.

Bandh

In response to the `Karnataka bandh' called by the BJP on Thursday, party leaders said they would ensure that it was successful.

The former Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, will visit Ms. Bharti at the jail on September 1. Several other leaders are also expected to visit Ms. Bharti.

`Tiranga Yatra'

The `Tiranga Yatra' from Hubli to Jallianwala Bagh is expected to be launched only after Ms. Bharti comes out of jail. But the BJP has made it clear that since Ms. Bharti herself had refused to seek bail, there would be no attempt from its side in that regard.

Challenge

Earlier, speaking to BJP and Bajrang Dal activists at the railway station here on her way to Hubli from Bhopal early on Wednesday, Ms. Bharti said: "No one can stop me" and reiterated that she would hoist the Tricolour in every nook and corner of the country.

The Nizamuddin-Vasco Express train by which she was travelling was running behind schedule. As against the scheduled arrival at 1.30 a.m., the train chugged in at 4.40 a.m. and left the station 20 minutes later.

She was accompanied by Mr. Ananth Kumar, the former Union Minister, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, MP, and party leader, Rajendra Gokhale, who is also an accused in the cases related to the violence in Hubli in 1994.

Speaking at Raibag, Ghataprabha, and Londa stations, Ms. Bharti held the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, responsible for re-opening the cases against her.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka