Tejasvi Surya Detained During Protest Over Affordable Public Transport

BENGALURU, Feb 9: BJP MP and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) national president Tejasvi Surya was detained by police on Monday while staging a protest at the Jayanagar Metro station in Bengaluru, demanding affordable public transport for commuters.

Surya was demonstrating against the recent Metro fare revision, under which ticket prices were raised from Re 1 to Rs 5 depending on distance. The fare hike has since been put on hold, a move Surya attributed to the Centre’s intervention.

During the protest, the MP carried an empty trunk, symbolically accusing the state government of making “hollow promises”. The demonstration was also a response to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s remark describing Surya as an “empty trunk” who is active only on social media.

Speaking after his detention, Surya criticised the state government, saying that raising demands for accountability and affordable transport had resulted in arrest and detention. He termed the action “shameful” and alleged that instead of focusing on infrastructure and public amenities, the government was suppressing dissent.

Surya also said the Metro fare hike had been stalled for the second time due to pressure from the Union government and demanded that the state release a white paper detailing its economic condition.