A large protest organised by the SIR Virodhi Okkoota and several civil-rights organisations at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on Thursday drew young people, senior citizens, students and participants from outside the city, while police imposed traffic restrictions and deployed more than 900 personnel around the venue.
The gathering, described by organisers as a ‘Janata Nyayalaya’, featured slogans calling for the cancellation of SIR, the dismissal of Gyanesh Kumar and the conduct of elections through ballot papers. Participants also raised slogans including ‘My vote, my right’ and ‘Save democracy, protect the country’, according to Prajavani’s report from the event.
People arrived carrying posters, placards, the Kannada flag and the national flag. Some placards referred to allegations of vote theft and called for action against Gyanesh Kumar. The report said that members of the younger generation were particularly vocal, with slogans and cheers continuing through the programme. Participants also displayed images of Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Swami Vivekananda, Savitribai Phule, Jyotiba Phule, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Cuban revolutionary leader Che Guevara.
Actor Prakash Raj and Abhijit Deepke received loud cheers when they appeared on stage, while YouTuber Dhruv Rathee’s arrival generated further excitement. Writer Devanur Mahadeva, who was reportedly unwell, arrived late. Speeches and slogans focused on claims that democratic rights and voting rights were under threat. These claims were made by speakers and protesters at the event and were not independently assessed in the report.
Ayesha Ghosh, all-India joint secretary of the Students’ Federation of India, alleged that the Union government was attempting to take away people’s democratic rights. She also accused Gyanesh Kumar of making false statements and taking decisions outside the rules. Ghosh said that arrests of protesters would not weaken the movement and that the campaign would continue against what she described as an authoritarian government.
The event also demonstrated the logistical demands created by large public gatherings in central Bengaluru. Participants travelled by tempo vehicles, cars, motorcycles, scooters and buses. Organisers arranged chitranna, buttermilk and drinking water, while some supporters distributed biscuits and bottled water. Police placed barricades around Freedom Park, restricted vehicle movement and arranged diversions.
Traffic congestion was reported on Seshadri Road and Palace Road as vehicles were diverted around the protest site. The police presence and road restrictions affected movement in an important central-city area, linking the political gathering to the everyday functioning of Bengaluru’s roads and public spaces. The report did not provide an estimate of the total number of protesters or specify when the traffic restrictions would be lifted.
