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Following nearly a month of dispute and negotiations, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Sunday, November 16, conducted its route march in Chittapur in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district.
The march, held as part of the RSS centenary year, was originally scheduled for October 19 but was denied permission by the taluk administration as it coincided with a march proposed by Dalit organisations. The Sangh later announced November 2 as an alternative date, prompting the Karnataka High Court to direct the district administration to mediate between the two groups. A peace meeting held on October 28 failed to yield consensus, after which the court asked the Advocate General to intervene.
On November 14, after multiple rounds of discussions with both RSS and Dalit organisations, the High Court permitted the organisation to hold the event between 3 pm and 5.30 pm, with restrictions on the number of participants. Sunday’s march lasted about an hour and saw around 300 people taking part. Police intensified security along the route to prevent any incident, as the row had drawn supporters from neighbouring areas.
As per the conditional permission granted on November 12, only residents of Chittapur town were allowed to participate in or witness the event. Police set up check-posts on every approach road to ensure no outsiders joined the march or entered as spectators.
Security was the tightest the town has seen in recent years. Around 900–1,000 police personnel, including civil police, KSRP, District Armed Reserve and Home Guards, were deployed. Superintendent of Police Adduru Srinivasulu, along with senior officers, personally supervised crowd control and adherence to the High Court–mandated conditions. According to reports, police formed a protective cordon around the marching contingent, and individuals arriving in uniform without approval were prevented from joining. Youths attempting unauthorised sloganeering were restrained and moved behind the main group. No untoward incident was reported.
To monitor the march, between 50 and 60 CCTV cameras were installed across the town, and several drone cameras and hand-held video units were used for real-time surveillance.
An RSS leader who took part in the march told a Kannada news channel that the event had concluded peacefully. “The district administration itself gave us permission with certain conditions. Some of them seem too much but it’s okay, we adhered to the conditions. Chittapur residents have shown the real strength of Hindutva and love for Hindutva, I’d like to thank them,” he said.
