Karnataka bandh: Police detain protestors from Bengaluru Town Hall and Rajajinagar

Bengaluru: Bengaluru police detained over 50 protesters on Saturday who were raising slogans and attempting to start a rally from Town Hall, located in the heart of the city.

The police ferried them to Freedom Park in a BMTC bus. Protesters arrived at the Town Hall in groups, but the police intervened, stopping them and taking them to Freedom Park, following orders from Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda.

On Friday, Dayananda had warned of strict action if any rallies disrupted the public. However, Vatal Nagaraj, who had called for the bandh, remained determined to lead a rally from Town Hall.

Protesters at Freedom Park criticised the government, accusing it of cowardice and attempting to silence their protests. “Members of the MES assaulted the conductor and driver of your own government department, but you chose to remain silent, displaying cowardice. We are fighting for you, yet we are being silenced; this is unacceptable,” one of the protesters told the media.

Meanwhile, another group of protesters at Freedom Park conducted a “last rites” ceremony of a paper with the letters "MES" written on it. “We are doing this to emphasise that the MES will ultimately gain nothing. We urge the government to expel all MES members from the state,” the protesters stated.

While the bandh was not forcibly imposed in the city, more than 10 people attempted to block the Rajajinagar Metro Station in the morning. The police acted swiftly and detained all the protesters. So far, the bandh has been peaceful with no major incidents.

In another incident, members of a pro-Kannada group intercepted BMTC buses in central Bengaluru and spray-painted slogans against the central government on the bus windshields.

Speaking to reporters, Home Minister G Parameshwara stated that the Home Department had made extensive preparations after Vatal Nagaraj called for the bandh. All commissioners and superintendents of police had been instructed to maintain vigilance and ensure no untoward incidents occur.

“I have instructed the police department to arrest anyone who breaks the law. As of now, I have received reports that the bandh is proceeding peacefully, and we will maintain law and order in the state,” Parameshwara said.