Explained | Cubbon Park book confiscation row

The Horticulture authorities in Bengaluru cancelled the Secret Santa ‘book exchange’ celebration at Cubbon Park on Saturday, leading to a huge debate online on the rights and wrongs of the action.

The authorities sought a fine of Rs 35,000 from the organisers as they claimed that the latter had not taken permission for the large gathering. The group members were also threatened with an FIR before they were let go after writing an apology letter.

What did the authorities claim?

As per the Horticulture authorities, the event had a footfall of over 1,000. Kusuma G, Deputy Director of Horticulture, Cubbon Park, told DH that any gathering of more than 20 people at the Park required prior permission from the department, which the group had not obtained. She said they were also shouting, and carrying plastic covers. She added that irrespective of whether an event is free or not, a fee of Rs 30,000 needs to be paid and a security deposit of Rs 20,000 must be made. This is also dependent on the nature of the event. In case of marathons, yoga, and book readings, there is no problem, however, events that host religious activities are not allowed.

How did Cubbon Reads respond?

Referring to the Deputy Director's quote to DH on the restriction on religious activities, Cubbon Reads issued a statement saying that "Using the word 'Santa' in the meet-up does not make it religious".

Cubbon Reads is a free silent reading community that meets at Cubbon Park on weekends.

The official Instagram handle of Cubbon Reads at first issued an apology to its followers and readers. Soon after, they issued statements on their social media where they shared with the readers and followers their side of the story.

"We strongly condemn taking someone's private properties, books in this case, without consent. It is no less than stealing," they wrote in the caption of a video showing authorities confiscating gift-wrapped books.

Amid the controversy, the community on their Instagram called for stories of harassment at the hand of park authorities claiming that the outpouring support they received made them realise that what they faced was not a "one-time affair".

The readers at Cubbon Park refuted the claims of 1000 attendees at the event and said that they had documentary proof evidence proving that the last numbered book was 351. Assuming that some other people in the park joined in out of curiosity, the community said that at maximum, there were 450-odd people. In terms of fees, members of Cubbon Reads told DH that they were not aware of any such rules and recalled last year's Secret Santa event that went smoothly and was attended by around 200 people. They also alleged that two volunteers who had been taken to the horticulture office were bullied for not knowing Kannada and were asked to unwrap the book as the police suspected it contained unlawful things.

(With DHNS inputs)