Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday asked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to obtain formal permission from the competent authorities for its proposed Vijayadashami route marches on October 25, news agency PTI reported. He said merely informing the Home Department or seeking its cooperation did not amount to approval.
In a post on X, Kharge said the police needed adequate time to plan the deployment and transportation of personnel, food, traffic management, security and other arrangements for the marches, which would involve public resources.
"Merely 'informing' or telling the Home Department to 'cooperate' or 'make necessary arrangements' is not the same as obtaining permission," he said. He urged the RSS to submit applications under the prescribed procedure and wait for formal approval.
Kharge, the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, cited the RSS's Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha Annual Report 2025-26. He said the report recorded 562 route marches across Karnataka involving 2,21,963 uniformed participants.
"Now, when lakhs of you intend to march through Karnataka's streets on a single day at the same time, the Police department has considerable preparations to make," he said.
The minister asked the organisation to fill out the prescribed application form and provide the necessary details before holding the events.
According to PTI, Kharge also posted letters submitted by RSS units to police stations in Bengaluru about Vijayadashami route marches planned for October 25. The letters sought police cooperation or informed the authorities about the proposed events.
In a letter dated October 15, the RSS unit in Kamalanagar informed the Mahalakshmi Layout police station about a procession scheduled to begin at 9 am from a ground beside the Shiva temple on Pipeline Road. The march was proposed to pass through Kempegowda Layout and Kasturi Layout before returning to the starting point.
Another communication sent to the Nandini Layout police station and the traffic police referred to a route march in Laggere between 9 am and 12.30 pm. It proposed starting at 9.30 am from Gate 1 of the Apollo National School ground in Chowdeshwari Nagar, passing through several streets and concluding at Gate 2 of the school.
Kharge has alleged that the RSS is an unregistered organisation and suggested that it is functioning illegally in India. He has also sought details of its revenue and expenditure.
The RSS has maintained that many activities in India are carried out by unregistered bodies and that registration is not necessary in every case.
Kharge's remarks centred on the need for the RSS to follow the prescribed application process and secure formal approval before holding the October 25 marches, while the organisation has maintained that registration is not mandatory for everybody in India.
- Ends
With PTI inputs