GUWAHATI: City police have denied permission to Pravin Togadia - a prominent critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and president of newly floated Antarashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) - to hold a public meeting in Guwahati on July 18, citing law and order problems.Sources in city police told TOI that Guwahati Police commissionerate has sought a report on the issue from the concerned local police station and added that the plea of AHP for allowing the meeting to be addressed by Togadia is still under consideration. However, granting permission is unlikely as the state is already on alert in wake of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) issue, they also said.Guwahati Police commissioner Hiren Nath said, "City police have not granted permission to the meeting where he (Togadia) has been invited. We have asked the organizers of the meeting (AHP) not to hold the meeting without permission."Citing law and order situation, Nath said section 144 of the CrPC is currently in force in three police districts under Guwahati Police commissionerate and under such a situation the city police cannot give permission to Togadia's meeting.On the other hand, taking a dig at the Sarbananda Sonowal government, general secretary of the state unit of AHP, Robin Bhuyan, hit out at the BJP-led government for 'denying' permission to Togadia's Assam visit, allegedly at the instigation of the RSS.The AHP, which comprises majority of activists who have defected to the new Hindu outfit from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad following Togadia, on Saturday launched a statewide protest against the 'autocratic' rule of the BJP-led government in Assam. The state unit of the AHP said the Centre and the state government has gone all out to suppress the voice of the Hindutva stalwart for 'exposing' failures of BJP governments in protecting the interests of Hindus.Secretary of the Assam Pradesh unit of the AHP, Jnanendra Barman, said the city police have asked the organization not to bring in Togadia to the scheduled two-day meeting that is scheduled to commence at ITA Centre at Machkhowa here on July 18."As an uncompromising organization on the rights of the Hindus, the Antarashtriya Hindu Parishad is committed to fight for Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement, repealing of Article 370 , Gau Raksha, sealing of Indo-Bangladesh border and deportation of Bangladeshi infiltrators and other issues of Hindutva where the BJP has failed to stand up to the expectations of the Hindus miserably. It's most unfortunate the only for voicing for the Hindus, Togadia ji is being denied permission to hold a meeting in the BJP-ruled state," said Barman.Togadia's public meeting scheduled on July 18 has been cancelled but he will meet party workers in other scheduled programmes on the next day. "Pravin Bhai Togadia ji will come to Assam under any circumstances. He wants to visit Kamakhya temple in the city and meet the workers of his organization. No one can deprive him from his fundamental rights," Barman added.

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