File photo of VHP's Pravin Togadia

Pravin Togadia, a controversial leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, will not be allowed to speak in Bangalore or even enter the city for a week, the police have said.



Mr Togadia was scheduled to speak at a "Virat Hindu Samajothsava" organised by the VHP, which is linked to the ruling BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.



But Bengaluru Police Commissioner MN Reddi has issued prohibitory orders and ordered Mr Togadia to stay out of the city between February 5 and 11.



The police say they are apprehensive about the fallout of any provocative and inflammatory speech by Mr Togadia, which could hurt religious sentiments of other communities.



"Any organisation creating communal tension, we will not allow. We don't allow," said Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.



The BJP, which is the opposition in the state, has called the ban "undemocratic." The party's Jagdish Shettar said, "It is undemocratic, unconstitutional. I condemn it. There is freedom of speech. Pravin Togaida has addressed lot of functions in entire Karnataka. In the past one month, he has spoken at so many events and Karnataka allowed him, the police have allowed him. There has been no untoward incident anywhere."





Last year, in the middle of the national election, Mr Togadia had caused the BJP much embarrassment after he was seen on camera in Gujarat's Bhavnagar, telling a gathering how to prevent Muslims from buying property in areas where Hindus are a majority.More recently, the VHP has been at the centre of a major controversy over the alleged conversion of Hindus in several parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala. The VHP called it "ghar vapasi or homecoming" of Hindus who had converted decades ago.

The police describe Bengaluru as communally sensitive and say Mr Togadia's speeches could disturb the peace in the IT city.Karnataka has seen episodes of communal tension in the past, particularly in districts like coastal Mangaluru, Vijaypur and Belagavi.