2 students arrested in Bengaluru for tailing Amit Shah's convoy

BENGALURU: A reported security breach during Union home minister Amit Shah's visit to the city on Sunday night landed two bike-borne youths in trouble, though police later confirmed the breach was unintentional.

Preliminary reports said the youths, both aged 20 and second-year BA students at a private college in RT Nagar, had initially violated the one-way rule and were found driving on the wrong side. Fear of being apprehended by cops landed them in bigger trouble when, in their attempt to evade police, the duo ended up tailing Shah's convoy around 10.30pm, before being arrested.
Bheemashankar Guled, deputy commissioner of police (east), said the two youths were arrested for rash and negligent driving and applying criminal force to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duties.
"Though investigations indicated that it was not intentional, we are probing all angles," a police officer said.
According to police, the two youngsters were spotted riding in the wrong direction on Infantry Road near Safina Plaza. They allegedly ignored the cops when they told them to stop and rode on to Cubbon Road, through which Shah's convoy was passing. The bike-borne duo began tailing the VIP motorcade while it was crossing the Safina Plaza junction on its way to HAL airport.
"At the next traffic junction, near Manipal Centre, a couple of policemen on duty noticed the motorbike tailing the convoy. Fortunately, the bike rider was on the extreme left lane, making it easy for the cops to block the bike without disturbing the convoy," a senior traffic police officer said. While the rider rammed a police constable and sped away, the pillion rider was caught. Soon, an alert was sounded and the rider was caught, too. The youths were taken to Bharatinagar police station and frisked thoroughly. "A careful search confirmed they were not carrying any harmful object," a senior police officer said.
Shocked by the developments, the duo said they rode on to Cubbon Road, fearful of being caught by the traffic policemen for the one-way rule violation, but did not realise there was a VVIP convoy passing down that road.
A senior police officer said the two youths had come to Fraser Town and decided to visit Safina Plaza. In an attempt to reach the Plaza faster and since it was already quite late in the night, the rider entered the road from the wrong direction.