VHP says Togadia is missing, police deny arresting him

Ten days after he alleged that a "higher up in the BJP" was trying to implicate him in a murder case, VHP activists alleged on Monday that Pravin Togadia was missing and that he had been taken away by Rajasthan Police.

Around 50 Vishwa Hindu Parishad workers created a ruckus at a police station in Ahmedabad, alleging that the police, in connivance with their Rajasthan counterparts, had taken Togadia into custody in connection with a 10-year-old murder case.

Alleging that the Sola police helped the Rajasthan Police arrest the VHP's International Acting President from Paldi area in Ahmedabad, the workers demanded to know his whereabouts.

"We are pretty sure the Rajasthan Police has arrested our leader. They were in the state searching for Togadia in connection with the murder in Rajasthan that took place 10 years ago.

"We ask the Gujarat Police to tell us where he is if he has not been arrested," said Raju Patel, the Ahmedabad city VHP General Secretary. "We fear that Togadia might be killed by the police in a fake encounter."

"The way Togadia has been speaking against the government on many issues... their poll promises, regarding Ram Mandir, many in the government do not like it and they want to silence him," Patel added.

The VHP workers tried to block traffic on the busy Sarkhej-Gandhinagar highway in western Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, the police in Ahmedabad maintained that the Rajasthan Police left the city without making any arrest.

"The Rajasthan Police had a search warrant for Togadia but no arrest was made. If the VHP workers allege that Togadia is missing, then we will look into that matter," said Sola Police Station Inspector G.S. Patel.

On January 5, Togadia alleged a conspiracy had been hatched against him by a "higher up in the BJP" to implicate and jail him in a 1996 murder case by ensuring he did not get the summons issued against him.

The Metropolitan Court on Friday cancelled a non-bailable warrant issued against Togadia, once a powerful figure in the Hindutva camp.

"The police did not make those summons available to me. I have received information that this was done purposefully by someone higher up, without the intervention of (state) Home Minister or Chief Minister."

Togadia added: "Just like it happened during the Patidar agitation, when (then Chief Minister) Anandiben Patel said she did not order the lathicharge on agitators, this case is similar.

"(Deputy Chief Minister) Nitin Patel, (Chief Minister) Vijay Rupani wouldn't do that. Why were the summons not made available to me despite my presence in Ahmedabad? Since some time I feel my voice is being gagged. I will later reveal who is behind it all," he added.

--IANS

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