Police personnel taking part in a route march in Puttur town on Sunday ahead of the ‘Puttur Chalo’ rally scheduled for Monday.
| Photo Credit: Supplied picture
With several Hindu organisations calling for a “Puttur Chalo” rally on Monday to express their anguish over the alleged poor handling by the police of the recent clash between two groups outside a photocopying centre, the CPI(M) district unit has urged people not to participate in the rally, which it said was being held “to give a communal colour” to a simple clash between customers and the owners of a copying centre.The organisations will take out the rally in Puttur town on Monday morning. Starting from Darbe, it will culminate in front of the Venkataramana Temple. The police have given conditional approval for the rally and held a route march in the town on Sunday.To maintain peace, additional police personnel will be deployed. Superintendent of Police K. Arun, in a press release, said seven units of the District Armed Reserve, five units of the Karnataka State Reserve Police, and two units of the Special Action Force would be on duty. Additionally, one additional superintendent of police, one deputy superintendent of police, three police inspectors, 10 sub-inspectors, 14 assistant sub-inspectors, and 139 civil police personnel will be deployed.Condemning the rally, CPI(M) district secretary Muneer Katipalla, in a statement, said the BJP was trying to give a “communal colour” to the clash and disturb peace in the region. He alleged that the absence of communal clashes in the district over the past year had created unrest in the BJP and Sangh Parivar organisations. The Sangh Parivar was targeting Mr. Arun for succeeding in preventing communal clashes, he said, adding that the rally was being held to create tension and help the BJP gain political mileage.Mr. Katipalla urged the people to understand the real intention of the organisers and defeat their objective. Published - August 30, 2026 09:17 pm IST
