Barricades cleared in front of Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station after public outrage

BENGALURU: The Annapoorneshwari Nagar police on Friday removed the barricades put up in front of the police station to block movement of traffic and allowed for movement of vehicles after much public anger. They had parked a KSRP vehicle on the road and opened the road for traffic on both sides on the instructions of Police Commissioner B Dayananda in the wake of citizen’s outrage.

Actor Darshan and his girlfriend Pavithra Gowda, along with 15 others who are accused in the case of kidnapping and murder of Renukaswamy, are being questioned at the Annapoorneswari Nagar police station.

The doors of the police station doors were also shut and the traffic police prevented school buses from plying in front of the station. This affected motorists, joggers and walkers, and affected traffic movement. Motorists were forced to take a 2-km detour due to the barricades placed outside the police station. On Thursday evening and Friday morning, motorists and two-wheeler riders were seen arguing with traffic police and they expressed outrage over the security measures.

On Thursday, a tent wall was put up around the police station, leading to much speculation on whether the accused were getting VIP hospitality at the station. A pandal was erected around the station at the request of Darshan.

He reportedly told the investigators that he cannot sit at one place and needs to move around frequently, else he gets nervous, and his hands start trembling without cigarettes”. It is said that the shamiyana was erected just to provide open space for Darshan to walk around the station.

He also reportedly told the police, “You keep asking questions over and over again. No matter how many times I say that I don’t know anything, you are asking the same questions repeatedly”.