A campaign seeking restoration of protest rights in Bengaluru has given the Karnataka government until November 26 to withdraw restrictions limiting protests, demonstrations and agitations to Freedom Park, warning that citywide mobilisation will begin on November 28 if no action is taken.
The decision was taken at a round-table meeting held on Monday as part of the campaign to challenge restrictions on demonstrations across Bengaluru and restore the ability to protest at different locations. Lawyers, activists, street vendors and students attended the meeting, which was held under police surveillance, according to Prajavani.
The campaign said restricting protests to Freedom Park amounted to a violation of the right to protest. Participants described their demand as part of a wider effort to protect constitutional rights and the foundations of democracy. They also condemned the Bengaluru police response during a recent protest against the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, saying participants were not allowed to walk even 100 metres from Freedom Park and that first information reports were filed against protesters. The campaign has demanded that those cases be withdrawn.
The group said the state government has the authority to revise the order through the appropriate legal process but has not done so. It also announced plans to meet Home Minister Priyank Kharge and the Bengaluru police commissioner this week to submit its demands. The campaign’s next meeting is scheduled for November 3.
Kharge said the government was examining the possibility of identifying additional locations in Bengaluru for protests. He said the administration did not intend to suppress citizens’ protests or fundamental rights, but also had to protect the right of other residents to move freely.
“While protesting is your right, moving freely is also the right of other citizens. This is a sensitive issue. We will work to maintain a balance,” Kharge said, according to the report.
He questioned why residents of Whitefield should travel to Freedom Park to raise an issue concerning their area, or why someone seeking to protest in Devanahalli should have to come to central Bengaluru. Kharge said protests had been restricted to Freedom Park on the directions of the High Court and that the matter would be discussed legally.
The dispute places a citywide administrative restriction against the practical question of where residents can raise local grievances. Freedom Park is the designated protest venue, but the campaign argues that a single location may make it difficult for communities in distant parts of Bengaluru to organise demonstrations concerning neighbourhood-level issues. The government, meanwhile, is considering how to balance demonstrations with movement on the city’s roads and public spaces.
The campaign has warned that it will begin protests across Bengaluru on November 28 if the government does not take suitable action by its November 26 deadline. The next immediate steps are the proposed meetings with the Home Minister and police commissioner, followed by the campaign’s November 3 meeting.
