PATNA, 16 August 2003 — Amid high drama, VHP international General Secretary Praveen Togadia, who arrived here this morning to participate in the Independence Day celebrations, was packed off to Delhi.

On his arrival by a Sahara airlines flight from Bombay, Togadia was not allowed to even leave the tarmac.

Patna District Magistrate Deepak Prasad and city Superintendent of Police O.N. Bhaskar met him and asked him to board the same flight to Delhi. The VHP leader was informed that all his programs had been banned in apprehension of breach of peace.

The district administration even clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr PC in the Patna subdivision area. “Bihar has decided that be it Togadia or the RSS, nobody who promotes communalism will be let in. That’s why the government has decided to pass an order against Togadia,” said RJD chief, Laloo Prasad Yadav.

Laloo said that Togadia carrying a trishul (trident) had come to Bihar to disturb the state’s peace, that too on Independence Day. Keeping in view the threat to the state’s communal peace, the administration has decided to send him (Togadia) back from the airport itself. He had been kicked out like a football and will fall in Delhi only,” Laloo added.

However, no vehicles were allowed to enter and even the media was not allowed in during Togadia’s visit. The leader was scheduled to participate in the Independence Day celebrations at Saraswati Vidya Mandir in the sensitive Phulwari Sharif area and to address a meeting of VHP workers.

Disappointed over the district administration’s action, around 25 VHP activists, who were present outside the airport to receive Togadia, shouted anti-Laloo and anti-government slogans.

They briefly staged a sit-in protest at the main entrance of the airport but were later whisked away and taken into custody.

Bihar has been relatively free of communal clashes since Laloo Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal came to power 14 years ago.

And once again Laloo successfully prevented such a threat by stopping Togadia from entering state.