Sena, BJP activists protesting against CWG scams stopped a good kilometre away from MP's residence

Kalmadi House turns into fortress

Sena, BJP activists protesting against CWG scams stopped a good kilometre away from MP's residence

Kalmadi House has turned into a fortress with the police cordoning off the city MP's residence off Karve Road for 24 hours.

There were protests yesterday on Karve Road against Suresh Kalmadi, who is also the Indian Olympic Association president and has been in the eye of a storm since a series of irregularities surfaced in the arrangements for the upcoming Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Delhi.

Demanding Kalmadi's resignation, the BJP and the Shiv Sena staged massive agitations on Karve Road. They were prevented from advancing to Kalmadi's residence by the police, who kept them a kilometre away from the house.

BJP and the Shiv Sena workers, who agitated separately in spite of the two parties being alliance partners, had to remain content with venting their ire on an effigy of Kalmadi.

Inquiry demanded
Shiv Sena leaders Neelam Gorhe and Chandrakant Mokate tried to lead a morcha to Kalmadi House from Deccan Gymkhana, but were stopped near Garware College on Karve Road. As Shiv Sena protesters burnt an effigy of the Congress leader, Gorhe demanded a high-level inquiry under a retired justice of Supreme Court into the CWG scam and resignation of Kalmadi as an MP.

"To prevent any tension, we have decided to stop the Sena morcha quite some distance away from Kalmadi House," said DCP Zone I Dnyaneshwar Phadtare.

There was heavy police bandobast at Kalmadi House from 10 am.u00a0 A police inspector, three sub-inspectors and 12 constables were stationed at Kalmadi's residence.

"We have been instructed to be on the bandobast duty till the tension lasts," said Police Inspector S P Patil.
The police presence was increased at 4 pm, and over 50 policemen virtually cordoned off Kalmadi House.

Local Congress leaders Abhay Chhajed, Avinash Shinde, Bhagwan Vairat and many others were present at Kalmadi House."We will also protect Kalmadi House and nobody can resort to vandalism using false allegations," Shinde said.

In the morning yesterday, BJP leaders Anil Shirole, Yogesh Gogawale and Vikas Mathkari led an agitation at Khandujibaba Chowk.

An effigy of Kalmadi was garlanded with pieces of rectangular paper resembling currency notes.

"Kalmadi should resign from his post of MP as he has brought shame on Pune," said Mathkari.

Raja Mahajan, a close friend of the Kalmadis, said the MP's wife Meera was the only member of the family at home as all this was happening and that she was not well. Besides the police and the visiting Congress leaders, the regulars ufffdhousemaids, servants and drivers ufffd were also at Kalmadi House.