'Nod for march conditional': Bengaluru Tiranga rally delayed as cops restrict SIR placards

"In Delhi, the Congress is protesting against SIR and demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. Here, the Congress government says it supports us, but the police are imposing conditions," a protester said.

A Tiranga rally organised by Left organisations, civil society groups, farmer unions, Dalit organisations and members of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in Bengaluru on Friday was delayed for nearly 30 minutes after police objected to participants carrying protest placards outside Town Hall.

Around 5.30 pm, the participants, carrying the national flag and portraits of B R Ambedkar, eventually proceeded to Freedom Park, where they held a protest demanding the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

However, the police objected to placards demanding the withdrawal of SIR and Kumar's resignation, stating that permission for the march was granted subject to conditions.

Questioning the police action, a protester said, "We are carrying the national flag and a portrait of Ambedkar, and we are proceeding to Freedom Park. Where is the hindrance here? How can the police tell us what to carry and what not to carry? The placards were about SIR and the resignation demand, but they told us we could not carry them."

Another protester questioned the restrictions, pointing to the Congress's opposition to SIR at the national level. "In Delhi, the Congress is protesting against SIR and demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. Here, the Congress government says it supports us, but the police are imposing conditions on us," the protester said.

Some protesters also objected to the police taking away their placards.

Police cite High Court order

Akshay M Hakay, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), who arrived at Town Hall, said the organisers had separately sought permission for the march and the protest at Freedom Park. He said permission had been granted for the demonstration at Freedom Park, while the march was subject to conditions.

"Please do not mix the two. The permission for the march is conditional. The organisers had sought permission for a march carrying the Tricolour and constitutional placards, not for a protest. We cannot mix the two; otherwise, it could amount to a violation of the Karnataka High Court's orders," he said.

In 2022, the court had passed an order designating Freedom Park as the venue for all kinds of protests, demonstrations and similar activities so as not to affect city traffic.

The DCP urged the participants to follow the conditions of the permission and the instructions issued by the organisers. Following discussions with the police, the organisers removed the placards, and the procession proceeded towards Freedom Park under police supervision.

At Freedom Park, the protesters raised slogans demanding the withdrawal of SIR and Kumar's resignation. The protest concluded around 6.30 pm.

Traffic jams in CBD

Massive traffic jams were reported in Bengaluru's Central Business District (CBD), while police personnel were deployed in large numbers around Town Hall and along the route to Freedom Park due to the rally and protest.

The latest protest comes days after around 50 protesters, including members of the All India Students' Association (AISA), were detained near Town Hall on October 17 during an anti-SIR demonstration. Police said the group had assembled despite being denied permission and were detained after they refused to move to Freedom Park. The protesters were released later.

The previous day, the police had allowed a Tiranga march organised by the CJP, Jagrita Karnataka and My Vote, My Right, from Town Hall to the Quit India Memorial near Bannappa Park, but imposed conditions on slogans and placards. The organisers were barred from holding a protest or displaying protest-related posters and banners along the route and at the memorial, with police citing Karnataka High Court directions restricting demonstrations to Freedom Park.