NEW DELHI, 8 December 2005 — Angry followers of a Hindu religious leader, Narendra Maharaj, went on a rampage and destroyrd properties at Bombay and Aurangabad airports. They were venting their anger against the treatment meted out to their leader at Lucknow airport.
Police used canes to beat back hundreds of angry followers of the Hindu seer when they took to the streets of the two cities after the guru was barred from carrying his staff on board a commercial flight.
Narendra was barred from taking his staff on a flight from Lucknow to Bombay on Tuesday because of security rules, an officer of the Central Industrial Security Force, which is charged with protecting airports, said.
Police used canes, or lathis, to break up a protest outside Bombay airport on Tuesday night and again at the airport in the nearby city of Aurangabad yesterday, an official said.
At least 30 people, including reporters and other passengers, were hurt in the Bombay incident, local media reported. TV showed some people with thick red welts on their backs after being hit.
“When Narendra Maharaj arrived in Bombay, the officials tried to pacify him and requested him to talk to his supporters but he refused,” he said. About 500 of the guru’s supporters protested.
“The unruly mob refused to let passengers in or out of the building. The security personnel tried to pacify them but they didn’t listen.”
