The Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) plan to hold a Tiranga march through central Bengaluru on Friday hit a hurdle after police refused permission to assemble at Town Hall, citing restrictions on demonstrations outside designated venues.
The organisers said they were awaiting a formal response and maintained that the proposed event was a peaceful march scheduled to start at 4 pm from Town Hall and end at the Quit India Memorial near Mysuru Bank Circle on Kempegowda Road.
CJP, Jagrata Karnataka and My Vote, My Right planned to bring together between 200 and 300 participants.
A senior police officer said the request had not been approved because the party had publicised its plan to gather at Town Hall on social media. “Freedom Park is the designated venue for protests, and hence, we’ve not granted permission for the demonstration at Town Hall,” the officer said.
Chief minister D K Shivakumar said the organisers had not notified the government in advance and that Town Hall was not an authorised venue for demonstrations.
Police have also cited a Karnataka High Court directive restricting protests and rallies to Freedom Park, as well as concerns about traffic congestion in the city centre.
Rahul Jagrata, a Karnataka coordinator for CJP, said the organisers had submitted an intimation letter but had received no official response on permission.
“We have given intimation letter to the police and are hoping for permission. It is a peaceful Tiranga march from Town Hall to the Quit India Memorial near Mysore Bank on Kempegowda Road, and not a protest,” he said.
The Bengaluru event is part of CJP’s “Lehra Do Tiranga” campaign, which envisages marches in several cities. Permission was granted for a march at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on Friday. In Delhi, authorities closed Connaught Place’s Central Park on October 16 and 17, restricting access to the location where the group had proposed to gather.