Bangalore: Activists protesting at French mission detained

The city police on Monday detained 40 human rights activists for protesting in front of the French Consulate in the city, demanding the arrest of consulate official Pascal Mazurier. He has been booked for raping his three-and-a-half year old daughter.
Activists of the South India Cell for Human Rights (SICHREM) were detained for violating prohibitory orders in and around Vidhana Soudha, on account of the 60th anniversary celebration of the state assembly.

The protestors gathered near the consulate at around 11.30 am and were soon picked up by the police and taken to the police training academy near Koramangala. SICHREM director Ashok Matthew Philip, said that, more than 100 activists had gathered to demand Mazurier’s arrest, whom the Bangalore police had let off.
He said, “We had plans to drag this protest till 1 pm, and see to it that the diplomat was arrested. But before we could do anything, we were picked up for violating section 144 for unlawful assembly.”

“The police have not pressed for any charges till now; we will be let off only after 6 pm,” Philip said.

The police, who had summoned him for interrogation based on Suja’s complaint, later handed him over to the consulate. “We fear that he may claim diplomatic immunity and will be let off,” Phillip said.