Activists who were demanding the right to protest and the need for greater civil liberties in Bengaluru were detained by the police on Monday, October 2, while they gathered near the Maurya Circle.  Under the banner of the Horatada Hakkigaagi Janandolana movement, the activists had called for a march from Bengaluru’s Maurya Circle to Vidhana Soudha. Their mission: to challenge an order implemented in January 2022, which restricts protests solely to Freedom Park in Bengaluru.

The contentious Licensing and Regulation of Protests, Demonstrations, and Protest Marches (Bengaluru City) Order has stirred widespread criticism, with activists arguing that it severely limits the avenues for citizens to exercise their democratic right to protest.

Activists Mavalli Shankar from Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, Clifton D'Rozario from All India Central Council of Trade Unions, Maitreyi K from All India Lawyers Association for Justice, and Labeed from Solidarity Youth Movement were among those detained by the police. 

Horatada Hakkigaagi Janandolana has spearheaded the Right to Protest campaign, uniting civic groups across Bengaluru. They had recently submitted a letter to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G Parameshwara, demanding the immediate repeal of the controversial January 2022 order. The campaign contends that the order infringes upon the fundamental right to protest, affecting a wide range of groups including workers, farmers, Dalits, women, and other marginalized communities. Furthermore, it calls for the dismissal of all cases filed against individuals who have exercised this fundamental right.

Read: Bengaluru protests cannot be confined to Freedom Park, activists push for repeal of order