Bengaluru Police Deny Permission for CJP’s Tiranga March, Cite Karnataka HC Order

Bengaluru, Oct 16: Bengaluru police have denied permission to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to organise a Tiranga March from Town Hall to the Quit India Memorial near Mysuru Bank Circle, citing restrictions on public demonstrations and a Karnataka High Court directive limiting protests to designated venues.

The decision has renewed debate over restrictions on public demonstrations in Bengaluru, with the organisers maintaining that the proposed march was intended as a peaceful expression of patriotism rather than a conventional protest.

Scheduled for 4 pm on Friday, the march was expected to attract around 200 to 300 participants. CJP had planned the event in association with Jagrata Karnataka and My Vote, My Right as part of its “Lehra Do Tiranga” campaign.

Police denied permission, stating that Town Hall was not an authorised venue for demonstrations and that a gathering in the busy city centre could disrupt traffic. Under the prevailing restrictions, Freedom Park remains the designated venue for protests.

Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the organisers had not informed the government in advance and reiterated that Town Hall was not an authorised location for such gatherings.

However, Rahul Jagrata, Karnataka coordinator of CJP, maintained that the proposed march was intended to be peaceful. He said the organisers had submitted an intimation to the police and were awaiting an official response regarding permission.

The denial has brought renewed attention to the debate over whether restricting demonstrations to designated locations adequately protects citizens’ right to peaceful assembly. Activists and citizens’ groups have questioned the restrictions, arguing that the significance of public demonstrations often depends on the locations where they are held.

Authorities, meanwhile, have defended the need to regulate rallies in a densely populated metropolitan area to maintain public order and prevent traffic congestion.

As part of its “Lehra Do Tiranga” campaign, CJP plans to organise Tiranga Marches in multiple cities. Restrictions on the Bengaluru event, along with reported curbs on similar gatherings elsewhere, have highlighted the challenges faced by organisations seeking to conduct public events outside designated protest zones.

The issue has once again brought into focus the balance between citizens’ constitutional right to peaceful assembly and the responsibility of law enforcement agencies to regulate public gatherings and maintain public order.