Kanpur (UP): Activists from several right-wing groups held a protest on Friday at the Sadhbhavna Chauraha, about 1,500 metres from the Green Park stadium where India is taking on Bangladesh in a test match.
They also recited the Hanuman Chalisa and demanded that the match, which began on Friday, be cancelled, police said.
Upon receiving information about the protest led by right-wing groups, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, police officials quickly mobilised, they said.
A heavy police presence, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankita Sharma, was dispatched to the site to prevent the demonstrators from advancing towards the stadium.
Senior officials also alerted the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) to maintain close surveillance and be prepared for any eventuality.
Sharma told PTI that dozens of members from right-wing organisations, including the Bajrang Dal and the VHP, participated in the demonstration, chanting the Hanuman Chalisa.
“The protestors expressed their outrage over the ongoing atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh, demanding the cancellation of the test match,” she said.
The protestors also submitted a memorandum to the police commissioner, condemning the organisation of the match in Kanpur, labelling it “unfair and disgraceful”.
The police managed to calm the protestors, urging them not to take the law into their own hands, and dispersed them after receiving the memorandum.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Harish Chander noted that just a week prior, an FIR was filed against 20 members of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha for allegedly obstructing traffic to conduct a ‘havan’ in protest against the treatment of Hindus in Bangladesh.
