Cong. leader Ugrappa faces protest during his visit to Shivamogga

Representatives of the Bhovi community staging a protest against Congress leader V.S. Ugrappa in Shivamogga on Thursday.

Tension prevailed for some time near the Shivamogga Press Trust office, close to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, in the city on Thursday when a group of people tried to stop the vehicle of former MP and Congress leader V.S. Ugrappa and raised slogans against him.

Mr. Ugrappa was walking towards his vehicle after addressing a press conference at the trust when the group began the protest. They attempted to argue with him and block his vehicle, prompting police personnel present nearby to intervene.

Veerabhadrappa Pujar, Budigere Basavaraj and other leaders of the Bhovi community staged the spontaneous protest. They alleged that Mr. Ugrappa had recently made objectionable remarks about the community and its reservation as a Scheduled Caste. They claimed he had favoured extending reservation to an unrelated community under the “Bhovi” tag. They also called upon community members to stage protests and show black flags wherever Mr. Ugrappa visited.

The police managed to clear the way for Mr. Ugrappa’s vehicle to leave. The incident disrupted vehicular movement on the road for some time.

Responding to the allegations, Mr. Ugrappa said that, as head of a legislature committee, he had in fact recommended reservation for Bhovi and related communities. He said some people, possibly misled on the issue, had staged the protest for political reasons.