Bengaluru police have booked 70 residents who participated in a silent march campaigning to save trees and voice their opposition to the construction of a flyover along Sankey road in the heart of the city. The move was condemned by activists and civil society groups in the city.
The silent march was held on February 19 following which police booked 70 people who took part in the march. The police case came to light when one of the participants, activist Avijit Michael, who works with the campaigning organisation Jhatkaa, was issued a notice on March 17 accusing him of violations including unlawful assembly, obstruction of public way and wrongful confinement.
Denying the police charges, Avijit said that he was part of a peaceful march to save trees along the Sankey Road. “It is my constitutionally guaranteed right to peaceful protest in India, the Mother of Democracies and nation of Mahatma Gandhiji, the stalwart of ahimsa and peaceful protest. I do not accept any of the charges laid out against me, as they have no merit," Avijit said.
A representative of Jhatkaa pointed to videos taken during the silent march and said that it contradicted the police's claims. "The video shows that none of the conditions of the IPC sections that Mr. Michael is charged with are fulfilled. There was no obstruction of public way, no unlawful assembly, nor was anyone wrongfully confined. Michael and the other citizens were peacefully marching along the footpath of Sankey road and raising awareness about the need to save trees," a statement from Jhatkaa read.
Others booked by the police for the silent march include Kimsuka Iyer, a management professional and activist from Malleshwaram, and Rajeev Gowda, a former Rajya Sabha MP from the Congress party.