Bengaluru, March 22
The Karnataka bandh, called on Saturday to condemn the attack on RTC drivers for not speaking Marathi in Belagavi and Maharashtra, evoked a mixed response across the state. Thousands of Kannada activists staged protests at district headquarters, and police detained hundreds of them.
The protestors have also placed about 20 demands before the government in the interest of Kannada language and state.
Authorities made tight security arrangements in Bengaluru and denied permission for Kannada activists to stage a protest at Town Hall, a major junction in the city.
Police personnel outnumbered the protesters at the venue and transported them to Freedom Park in RTC buses. Fifteen RTC buses were stationed at the spot, and as protesters gathered, they were boarded onto these buses and dropped off at Freedom Park.
Permission for a protest march from Town Hall to Freedom Park was also denied. Since Town Hall is located in a key junction within Bengaluru’s Central Business District, any disruption there was expected to have widespread effects.
In Belagavi, where the attack on Karnataka RTC staff for not speaking Marathi initially occurred — triggering similar attacks on drivers from Maharashtra in Karnataka and vice versa — the bandh was total.
Buses from Maharashtra did not enter Karnataka, and authorities increased security to ensure the safety of the large Marathi-speaking population in the bordering region.
The bandh was also total in Mandya, Chikkamagaluru, Bagalkot, Hubballi-Dharwad, Chamarajanagar, Bidar, and other districts. In some parts of the state, the response was partial and mixed.
Vatal Nagaraj, Chairman of Kannada Okkuta (Federation of Kannada Organisations), an umbrella body of pro-Kannada and other groups, declared on Saturday that the state-wide bandh was successful.
"I congratulate all activists and organisations across the state for participating in the protest. The bandh has been total in all districts," he stated.
"We have presented our demands to the government, the people, and the nation. The Bengaluru police acted with highhandedness to obstruct the bandh, arresting about 3,000 Kannada activists on Friday night alone. They also indiscriminately served notices," he alleged.
He further criticised the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, stating, "It seems he has taken it upon himself to ensure the bandh does not succeed. The previous Commissioner, Bhaskar Rao, entered politics after retirement. If the current Commissioner has similar plans, he is welcome to pursue them," he chided.
"The police insist that protests be staged at Freedom Park, which cannot accommodate even one percent of Bengaluru’s population. The Police Commissioner should conduct himself with dignity. I strongly disapprove of the attempts made to suppress the bandh," he added.
"We have the capability to ensure that not even a drop of water is available to people during a bandh. This agitation will not stop here — it is a warning to the government. The authorities systematically used the police to prevent the bandh. But why are we protesting? Who are we protesting for? It is for the welfare of the state. Yet, the government has gone to the extent of trying to suppress the bandh," he alleged.
Finally, he thanked the media and the people of Karnataka, stating, "I congratulate the media and the people of the state for making this bandh a success despite all the challenges."
