Karnataka's home minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday directed authorities to examine the detentions carried out before a planned Bengaluru march — one organised to oppose the electoral roll Special Intensive Revision process and to call for chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's removal over what participants described as irregularities. Kharge noted that the right to peaceful assembly warranted protection, and argued that peaceful opposition ought never to be conflated with a breakdown of public order.
Authorities detained scores of people on Monday — a mix that included students, older residents, lawyers, and activists — before the march could arrive at the Chief Electoral Officer's premises in Bengaluru. According to event organisers, officers forcibly removed participants from the area, confiscated their placards, and subjected a number of people — among them women and members of the press — to physical force.
Kharge indicated that how authorities managed the protesters would come under review, adding that the ability to demonstrate peacefully sits at the heart of democratic life. In a Tuesday statement, he called for the principle to be upheld, shielded from interference, and kept free from any form of suppression. He noted that orders were passed down to police directing them to allow lawful protests to proceed without interference.
Addressing the crowd, Kharge urged demonstrators to work alongside police and keep authorities informed of their intended route and timing. The coalition's spokesperson read aloud a statement affirming that the duty of governance extends beyond maintaining order to actively safeguarding every citizen's right to voice dissent freely and without fear. The statement was delivered under the banner of the My Vote, My Right Campaign, a grouping of more than 40 civil society organisations that has taken a position against the SIR.
A memorandum addressed to Karnataka chief electoral officer V Anbukkumar was among the documents the organisers intended to lodge, calling for the SIR to be scrapped, the electoral rolls to be restored to their January 2025 state, and Anbukkumar's departure from his post.
Organisers claimed that a number of attendees were taken into custody by Bengaluru police even before the march got under way. Accounts indicate that a number of individuals were physically forced onto waiting buses. According to the organisers, physical force was used against youth attendees and the clothing of female participants was interfered with. A statement from the organisers further alleged that four officers physically assaulted a photojournalist, with three additional members of the press also subjected to physical mistreatment.
