Bengaluru police have granted permission for the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) Tiranga March on Friday, allowing the event to proceed with restrictions on speeches, slogans and displays, hours after refusing permission for the planned gathering at Town Hall.
The march, part of CJP’s “Lehra Do Tiranga” campaign, is scheduled to bring together 200 to 300 people and was originally planned to begin at Town Hall at 4 pm and end at the Quit India Memorial near Mysuru Bank Circle on Kempegowda Road. Police had objected to the proposed Town Hall assembly, saying Freedom Park was the designated venue for demonstrations in Bengaluru.
The latest communication from the office of the assistant commissioner of police, Halasuru Gate subdivision, dated October 16, allows the programme subject to conditions. The police have prohibited provocative or inflammatory speeches, slogans against individuals, organisations or communities, and posters, banners or placards that could disturb public order.
Deep Dive
What restrictions did Bengaluru police place on CJP’s Tiranga March?
When and where was CJP’s Tiranga March in Bengaluru scheduled to take place?
Why did Bengaluru police initially refuse permission for the march at Town Hall?
The letter was addressed to Krishna K.N. of Jagrata Karnataka and Rahul T.S. and Lekha Adavi of Nanna Mata Nanna Hakku. It said the organisers could conduct the programme between 5 pm and 6.30 pm and directed them to complete it within the permitted time. “You must not make provocative or inflammatory speeches during the foot march,” the police said.
The organisers were also told: “You must not raise slogans against any person, organisation, community or any other party during the foot march.”
{{/usCountry}}The organisers were also told: “You must not raise slogans against any person, organisation, community or any other party during the foot march.”
{{/usCountry}}The police also said, “You must not display posters, banners or placards that may cause disturbance to public order during the foot march.”
The permission follows an earlier dispute over the proposed starting point. A senior police officer had said the request to gather at Town Hall was not approved because the organisers had publicised their plan on social media.
“Freedom Park is the designated venue for protests, and hence, we’ve not granted permission for the demonstration at Town Hall,” the officer had said.
The organisers had maintained that the event was a march rather than a protest. Rahul Jagrata, a Karnataka coordinator for CJP, said they had submitted an intimation letter to the police but were awaiting an official response.
“We have given intimation letter to the police and are hoping for permission. It is a peaceful Tiranga March from Town Hall to the Quit India Memorial near Mysore Bank on Kempegowda Road, and not a protest,” he said.
The police communication cited Karnataka High Court proceedings, referring to directions governing protests, demonstrations, sit-ins, rallies and road blockades outside permitted locations. The organisers were directed to follow the order “in letter and spirit”.
The Bengaluru march is one of several planned under CJP’s “Lehra Do Tiranga” campaign. Permission was granted for a march at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on Friday. In Delhi, authorities closed Connaught Place’s Central Park on October 16 and 17, restricting access to the location where the group had proposed to gather.