Chief Minister Siddaramaiah while speaking at an event said that action will be taken to allow protests and rallies in front of the Sir Puttanna Chetty Town Hall in Bengaluru. He said that he will discuss the issue with Karnataka’s Advocate General on Thursday, November 16 and the steps that can be taken to allow protests and rallies in front of the town hall. Protests have been restricted to Freedom Park in Bengaluru since 2022
“Freedom of expression is very important. Tomorrow I will make sure to call the Advocate General and how we can accommodate protests and movements of any sort in front of the Town Hall. Progressive movements are very important, and more important is their role in ensuring that they warn the government when we are going astray. If the government is not pulled up when it is in the wrong path, then it will continue to walk the wrong path,” Siddaramaiah said.
The current restriction on protests in Bengaluru confines them exclusively to Freedom Park, a consequence of the police order titled the Licensing and Regulation of Protests, Demonstrations, and Protest Marches (Bengaluru City) Order enacted in January 2022. According to this order, any protest outside of Freedom Park is deemed illegal, hindering citizens from exercising their right to protest.
Various civil rights groups, united under the banner of Horatada Hakkigaagi Janandolana, have been advocating for the revocation of this order. In July, a delegation from the group presented their demands to the Chief Minister, saying that the order violates the fundamental right to protest. They also called for the dismissal of all cases filed against individuals, including workers, farmers, Dalits, women, and other marginalised communities, who have exercised this fundamental right.