Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has ordered a review of police action against protesters detained during a demonstration against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengaluru. “The right to peaceful protest should be respected and protected,” he said.
The development follows the detention of students, senior citizens, activists, lawyers and other demonstrators on Monday, October 12, before they could march towards the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer's office.
The protesters were opposing the SIR exercise and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision process.
Priyank Kharge says peaceful protest needs to be protected.
Kharge said he ordered the police to review how the protesters were handled. He also said dissent should not be treated as a law-and-order threat.
He also told the police to ensure peaceful demonstrations are not disrupted. At the same time, he appealed to protesters to cooperate with the authorities and keep them informed about their plans.
Kharge said enforcement of law and order is only one of the responsibilities of the authorities while citizens can express their views peacefully and without fear.
His comment came after reports of purported police excesses in Monday’s demonstration in Bengaluru.
What happened in Bengaluru during the anti-SIR protest?
The protest was organised under the banner of the My Vote, My Right Campaign, a coalition of more than 40 civil society organisations.
The demonstrators had planned to march towards the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer's office and submit a memorandum outlining their demands.
But police detained several participants before the march was to happen. Organisers claimed that officers seized placards, pulled protesters into buses and manhandled demonstrators, including women, and dragged them into them.
The incident also brought attention to how the journalists covering the protest were treated. Organisers claimed that police personnel assaulted a photojournalist and manhandled other members of the media.
The allegations have prompted calls for accountability and a review of the police response.
Why were protesters opposing the SIR exercise?
The Special Intensive Revision is done to review and update electoral rolls.
The My Vote, My Right Campaign is against the process because it will mean that eligible voters will be removed from electoral rolls.
The protesters would submit a memorandum to Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar of Karnataka. Their demands were to cancel the SIR exercise, restore electoral rolls to their January 2025 status and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
These demands are representative of the campaign's concerns about the revision process. Allegations of irregularities will not be treated as established findings without evidence.
Bengaluru Police Explain the Detentions
Bengaluru police said the protesters had assembled without prior permission and were asked to move to Freedom Park, which they had organized for demonstrations.
Akshay M Hakay, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), said that the protesters did not comply with the instructions and were taken into preventive custody before being released.
He said the police acted with restraint and sensitivity in the circumstances. He also said the friction between police personnel and journalists was unintentional.
The police response is somewhat different from the allegations of protesters and organisers about the handling of the demonstration. Kharge's review is expected to look into the police action and the questions that were raised through the incident.
Review to focus on Police Handling of Protesters.
Kharge’s announcement has placed the handling of the Bengaluru demonstration under scrutiny.
The review comes amid a growing protest against the SIR exercise and in response to the treatment of demonstrators and journalists by civil society groups.
The two main issues are the circumstances of detentions, the allegations of manhandling and police reaction to the planned march.
More on this review and any action taken in it will be forthcoming.
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