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Bengaluru Police and Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP)’s Tiranga March: Permission Dispute, Conditions, and Outcomes
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event – Tiranga March Planned for October 16
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and allied groups scheduled a “Tiranga March” on October 16, starting at Town Hall at 4 pm, proceeding along Kempegowda Road, and ending at the Quit India Memorial near Mysuru Bank Circle. Organisers expected 200-300 participants. Bengaluru police first denied permission, citing a Karnataka High Court order that limits protests to Freedom Park, but later issued a conditional approval that barred slogans, placards and provocative speeches. The march went ahead despite rain, with police forming rope barriers and reporting no major traffic disruption.
Background & Context
CJP’s “Lehra Do Tiranga” campaign aims for simultaneous flag-bearing marches in several cities. The campaign intensified after CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka and spokesperson Saurav Das were taken into five-day judicial custody on October 14 for alleged violations of peace bonds after entering Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, which had been de-notified as a protest site. A Karnataka High Court directive designates Freedom Park as the sole venue for public demonstrations in Bengaluru’s central business district, a rule the police invoked in the Town Hall dispute.
Timeline
- Oct 14 – Ranka and Das placed in judicial custody (PTI).
- Oct 16 – CJP submits an intimation letter; senior police officer initially denies permission. Later the assistant commissioner issues a permission letter with conditions; the march runs from 4 pm to about 6 pm.
- Oct 16 – Delhi’s Central Park in Connaught Place is closed, affecting a planned gathering there.
- Oct 20 – Authorities reiterate that protests must be confined to Freedom Park.
Official Statements & Responses
- A senior police officer said the court’s directions would be “strictly enforced” and that demonstrations outside Freedom Park could amount to contempt of court.
- Chief Minister D K Shivakumar affirmed that Town Hall is not an authorized venue and that organizers had not informed the government in advance.
- The assistant commissioner listed prohibited actions: “provocative or inflammatory speeches,” slogans against any person, organization, community or party, and the display of posters, banners or placards that could disturb public order.
- CJP Karnataka coordinator Rahul Jagrata said the group had submitted an intimation letter and was awaiting an official response.
Criticism & Opposition
- Abhinandan Mirji, ABVP Bengaluru’s Mahanagara secretary, warned that “CJP and opposition parties are trying to bring regime change through undemocratic ways. If somebody wants to bring regime change, it should be through democratic ways; we oppose these protests.”
On-the-Ground Reports
Participants gathered at Town Hall around 4:30 pm, carried the national tricolour, and raised patriotic slogans before marching to the Quit India Memorial. Police maintained rope barriers and monitored the crowd; no clashes occurred. At the memorial, participants wrapped the pillar in flags, recited poems, and sang “Wavin’ Flag” before the national anthem. Some attendees later alleged that mufti-clad police intervened when slogans were chanted, prompting a brief verbal exchange that was quickly resolved.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Early reports indicated that Bengaluru police denied permission for the Town Hall march, while later reports documented a conditional approval and the march’s execution.
- The exact wording of the final permission letter is not publicly available, leaving uncertainty about whether the ban on slogans was uniformly enforced.
- Media personnel were barred from entering the Quit India Memorial until all participants had arrived, limiting independent verification of the event’s full scope.