Hyderabad: The police in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh have refused permission to Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to hold a meeting to be addressed by its general secretary Praveen Togadia on March 17.

"We have not given permission in view of law and order situation and the ongoing examinations," said A V Naryana, deputy inspector general of police, Anantapur range.

The VHP has scheduled three meetings beginning on March 17 at Anantapur in the "communally sensitive" Rayalaseema region of the state.

The meetings to be addressed by Togadia are scheduled on March 18 and 19 at Cuddapah and Kunrool.

Meanwhile, the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has condemned refusal of permission by police to hold VHP meeting. BJP vice president V Seshagiri Rao in a statement has criticised the withdrawal of permission, which he pointed out, was earlier granted.

Meanwhile, DIG, Kurnool range, Satyanarayana has said that no permission was granted to VHP to organise meeting in Cuddapah and Kurnool.

In view of law and order situation, permission was not granted for the meetings to be held at municipal ground in Cuddapah and medical college ground in Kurnool on March 18 and 19 respectively, Satyanaryana said.

PTI