Yogesh K Porwar
Around 50 members of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and social activists were detained by the police on Saturday when they gathered to stage a protest at Town Hall,demanding the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The protesters gathered near Town Hall,where a heavy police force had been deployed and barricades erected to prevent them from holding the demonstration.
The police bundled the protesters into two buses and took them to the CAR grounds on Mysore Road in Chamarajpet, where they were detained for some time before being released.
The protest came after the SJ Park police rejected the organisers’ request to hold a demonstration outside V.N. Hall,citing Karnataka High Court guidelines restricting protests and rallies to Freedom Park.
In a notice dated October 17,the police referred to the High Court order ( in W.P. No. 5781/2021 (GM-RES-PIL)) , which designates Freedom Park as the venue for protests and rallies.
The notice stated that demonstrations, rallies,placard displays and mock protests at other locations were prohibited and warned of legal action for violations.
Additional platoons continue to station near hown hall to ensure no protests at the town hall .
The police said the organisers could hold the protest at Freedom Park after obtaining the necessary permission and complying with the applicable legal requirements.
“The Bengaluru police have formally rejected our intimation to protest at Town Hall,”an AISA Karnataka member said.
The organisers and activists criticised the state government, alleging double standards over its handling of peaceful demonstrations.
They questioned the government’s position,claiming that while the Home Minister had spoken in favour of peaceful protests and condemned police action against protesters in Delhi,the police had prevented their demonstration in Bengaluru.
City-based social activist and advocate Narasimhamurthy criticised the police action and said the agitation would continue until the protesters’ demands were met.
Traffic movement around Town Hall was disrupted for some time due to the heavy police deployment and the gathering of protesters.
