Spiritual leader banished from entering Hyderabad for 6 months

A spiritual leader, who was recently placed under house arrest in Hyderabad ahead of his proposed padayatra, was externed on Wednesday from the city for six months for allegedly making provocative statements, police said.

The head of Sri Peetham of Kakinada, Swami Paripoornananda, was externed under the Telangana Prevention of Anti-Social and Hazardous Activities Act, they said.

"Yes..He has been externed from Hyderabad city for six months," Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar told PTI.

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The BJP has reacted strongly to the ban order against the seer.

BJP leaders, including former Union Minister and MP Bandaru Dattatreya, party's floor leader in the Legislative Assembly G Kishan Reddy, met Governor ESL Narasimhan on the issue.

"The externment is undemocratic," Dattatreya told reporters after meeting the governor.

"As per the bifurcation act (Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act), the governor is vested with the responsibility to offer protection to anyone if the government shows any discrimination in Hyderabad. That's why we have come to the Governor," Reddy said.

The externment of Paripoornananda, who wanted to take out a padayatra in protest against certain anti-Hindu comments, showed the state government's autocratic attitude, state BJP president K Laxman told reporters in Hyderabad.

Observing that every citizen has a right to protest, he claimed that the action against the seer, who was put under house arrest earlier, amounted to suppression of rights of citizens.

He accused the state government of not externing Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM)leaders for allegedly making objectionable comments and added that the state government adopted a discriminatory attitude by acting against the seer.

The cases against Swami Paripoornanda should be withdrawn immediately and he should be brought back to the city, the BJP leader said.

On July 9, the Swami was put under house arrest ahead of his 'Dharmagraha Yatra' (paadayatra), in protest against recent statements in social and electronic media allegedly against Hindu deities.

As part of the externment proceedings, the Swami was shifted out of the city, a senior police official said.

The orders were issued over his alleged provocative statements made earlier at different events and meetings across the state, he added.

Paripoornananda had recently demanded arrest of Telugu actor and movie critic Kathi Mahesh, who too has been externed from Hyderabad, over his alleged statements against Hindu deities and said he "hurt" the sentiments of the Hindus.

However, permission for organising protests against the actor's statements were not permitted by police in any part of the state.

Mahesh, who was booked for allegedly making statements "disrespecting" Hindu deities, was externed on July 9.

VHP Telangana state president Rama Raju also demanded immediate withdrawal of the order externing the seer.