About 200 people took part in a Tiranga March from Bengaluru’s Town Hall to the Quit India Memorial near Bannappa Park on Friday, October 16, after organisers received late permission to hold what police described as a peaceful rally rather than a protest march.
The march was organised by the Cockroach Janata Party, the All India Students Association and civic groups including My Vote My Right and Jagruta Karnataka. Participants carried the national flag and a banner displaying the Preamble to the Constitution, while raising slogans including “Jai Bheem”, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Inquilab Zindabad”.
The event took place amid restrictions on demonstrations outside Freedom Park. Senior police officials had said earlier in the day that permission had not been granted for a protest march outside the designated area, citing a Karnataka High Court order restricting protests, rallies and public demonstrations to Freedom Park.
According to the organisers, permission was granted later in the day on the condition that the gathering would not be treated as a protest march but as a peaceful rally. Police personnel formed a human chain during the event and directed participants to keep pedestrian and vehicular movement uninterrupted.
The march was held in solidarity with Cockroach Janata Party co-convener Ashutosh Ranka and spokesperson Saurav Das, who were sent to five days of judicial custody in Delhi on October 14. They were accused of violating peace bonds and entering Jantar Mantar, which is no longer a designated protest site.
The Bengaluru organisers said their demonstrations were largely against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The report did not establish the allegations independently.
Activist Vinay Kumar criticised the conditions imposed on the gathering, saying it was contradictory that participants needed special police permission to hoist the national flag. He also questioned restrictions on slogans and political expressions, asking whether the police would determine which terms could be used during a public gathering.
The event ended without reported clashes, in contrast to the October 12 incident referred to by the organisers, when several protesters were detained after stepping outside Freedom Park and journalists were allegedly manhandled. At the end of Friday’s march, some Cockroach Janata Party volunteers exchanged a hug with police personnel, bringing the demonstration to a conciliatory close.
