Police take BJP leaders into custody as they try to lay siege to Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru
The BJP leaders and members have been demanding the resignation of Minister B. Nagendra, who has been chargesheeted in the case of embezzlement of funds meant for welfare of ST communities
Several leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were arrested on August 24, 2026, as they attempted to surround the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The Opposition leaders, including the State President of the BJP, B.Y. Vijayendra, former Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Opposition Chief Whip Ravikumar, MLC C.T.
Ravi, and former minister B. Sriramulu, were among those taken into custody. The BJP members had been protesting outside the Legislature demanding the resignation of Minister B. Nagendra, who had been charged with embezzlement of funds meant for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes. The protesters accused the Congress government of shielding Nagendra and cheated Dalits.
A minor scuffle occurred when the police attempted to stop the demonstrators from advancing due to prohibitory orders in effect due to the ongoing monsoon session. The police apprehended the BJP leaders and other protesters to prevent them from storming the Vidhana Soudha. More than 500 police personnel, along with KSRP platoons, were deployed to secure the legislature complex and surrounding areas.
Opposition leader R. Ashok claimed that the situation was reminiscent of the Emergency days when people's rights were curtailed, and the Opposition parties vowed to continue their protest until Nagendra stepped down. Temporary closures of two entrances at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar metro station occurred as a precautionary measure but were later lifted, restoring normal passenger movement.
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