A day after Horticulture Department officials disrupted a gathering at Cubbon Park for a Secret Santa event, a number of other people shared similar stories of harassment by park officials. On Saturday, December 21, Cubbon Reads, a community of people who meet once a week in the park to read books, came with books to gift each other for the event and the exchange was being done in an orderly manner in a queue. However, Horticulture Department officials turned up, told them they needed permission, confiscated the books, and threatened to file cases against them.
A curator for Cubbon Reads who wished to remain anonymous told TNM, “Since it’s a silent gathering where sometimes 50 people turn up and sometimes around 200, we have been running it without disturbing others. We didn’t anticipate two things: that giftwrapped books would be seen in a different light and the large turnout.”
The books were returned once a reader who is a lawyer sought the intervention of senior officials.
Horticulture Department Deputy Director Kusuma G told Deccan Herald that permission was required for events involving more than 20 people, for which organisers have to pay Rs 30,000 and a deposit of Rs 20,000, regardless of whether or not the events are of a commercial nature. She said that marathons, walkathons, yoga sessions, and book readings are allowed, but not religious activities. She also said that if large groups assemble, the department would involve the police.
The day after the Secret Santa event was disrupted, Cubbon Reads posted on Instagram asking if others had had similar experiences. Several people shared stories of the highhandedness of park security and Horticulture Department officials disrupting meetings, study groups, and even individuals who were not causing any nuisance. Their accounts also suggested that there were no clear rules on activities allowed or not allowed at the park, with each group being told something different and no clear explanation given for which rule they were breaking.
A woman who runs a community of new parents who meet once a month at the park left a comment that park officials objected saying food was not allowed. “When parents are coming with little ones they will carry food. As long as people are clearing up before leaving, I don’t see why food shouldn’t be allowed,” she said from her account as_we_stepout.
Cubbon Designs, a group of designers who meet bi-weekly, talked about officials disrupting their last meeting at the park. “We were just 16 of us, sitting in a circle and talking peacefully, when a guard interrupted us and asked us to disperse. We spoke with a ‘supervisor’ and tried to explain that neither are we a business selling anything nor are we creating any other nuisance, but they just wouldn’t listen and kept talking about this other group that had caused a ruckus involving money that same morning. We were told that groups larger than five people aren’t allowed, which basically eliminated any sort of meet-ups,” the group posted.
The supervisor also told the group that if they wanted to continue, they would have to submit a letter asking for permission – which may or may not be given – and forced the group to leave. “As a community that is trying to create a free and inclusive space for people from all backgrounds, Cubbon Park is an absolute boon to us. What a shame to see the place be reduced to just a mere tourist attraction, from the wonderful community space that it could be,” the group said.
One person left a comment saying they were asked to move when practising dance in a gazebo in the park and were not given a reason for those directions. “I threatened legal action,” she said.
Another user from the account __sagar__gowda__ wrote about how his field trip from college was forcibly ended by park officials. The group of around 25 microbiology students who had gone to Cubbon Park last week along with their teacher to study mushrooms were chased away. As they were trying to find mushrooms in the park premises, a security guard turned up and asked them to hurry things up and leave. Soon, other officials turned up and simply asked them to leave.
“The saddest part was that they treated us like we were thieves. Our study was incomplete and it was really disappointing. Cubbon Park is a public park and the public is not allowed to utilise it. Without any government approval the people working here are misusing their power,” the student said.