Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday, October 13, said he had sought a “full report on the circumstances that led to the police action” even as his Home Minister, Priyank Kharge, said that the Bengaluru police’s handling of protesters a day ago will be reviewed.
The leaders stressed that the right to peaceful protest is fundamental to democracy, with the CM even adding, “We cannot demand that right for ourselves in Delhi and deny it to others in Bengaluru.”
This comes amid questions over the manner in which Bengaluru police handled a protest on Monday.
Minister Kharge said he had instructed the police to ensure that peaceful demonstrations were not disrupted. He also urged protesters to cooperate with the police and keep authorities informed about their demonstrations to ensure participants’ safety and protect others’ rights.
“The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy. It must be respected, protected and never suppressed,” Kharge said.
He said the police had a responsibility to safeguard citizens’ democratic rights rather than obstruct their ability to express dissent. According to him, maintaining law and order should not come at the cost of allowing citizens to raise their voices peacefully.
“I have issued instructions to the police to ensure that no peaceful demonstration is disrupted,” he said, adding that protesters should coordinate with the authorities to prevent avoidable problems and ensure public safety.
Kharge said the police should facilitate the exercise of democratic freedoms while also ensuring that demonstrations did not compromise the safety and rights of other citizens.
“The police are here to protect your rights, not to stand in the way of your voice,” he said.
The minister emphasised that the government’s responsibility extended beyond routine law-and-order management. It also included creating conditions in which citizens could express disagreement and raise public concerns without fear.
“Our responsibility is not merely to maintain law and order but to create an environment where every citizen can express dissent freely, peacefully and without fear,” Kharge said.
He reiterated that peaceful dissent should not automatically be viewed as a threat to public order, arguing that the police must ensure that citizens can exercise their democratic rights without unnecessary interference.
“In a democracy, peaceful dissent is not a threat to law and order. It is a right that law and order must protect,” he said.
CM issues statement
Meanwhile, in his statement, the CM said the right to peaceful protest “is fundamental to our democracy. We cannot demand that right for ourselves in Delhi and deny it to others in Bengaluru.”
On Monday’s incident, he wrote, “If there has been any unnecessary use of force or excess, accountability will follow. Let me be clear: disagreement with the Election Commission, disagreement with my government, or disagreement with me personally does not diminish anyone’s right to peacefully express it.”
“Karnataka must hold itself to the democratic standards that we expect from the rest of the country. There will be no double standards,” he said.
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