Leaders of progressive organisations gathered in front of the Mysuru City Police Commissioner’s office on Thursday to voice their disapproval to the imposition of prohibitory orders and the consequent withdrawal of police permission to stage a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Several progressive, left and farmers’ organisations had obtained police permission for a peaceful protest at Town Hall in the city on Thursday, but the permission stood withdrawn in the wake of imposition of prohibitory orders for three days from Thursday to Saturday.
The leaders including anti-corruption crusader S.R. Hiremath, farmers’ leader Badagalapura Nagendra, CPI(M) leader Basavaraju and social activists Ugra Narasimhe Gowda and Shabbir Mustafa marched to the Police Commissioner’s office and staged a demonstration.
The leaders read out the provisions of the Constitution, bestowing citizens with the right to protest, said Mr. Basavaraju. The Police Commissioner, Mr. Balakrisha, came out of his office and took the protesters into the conference hall, where he explained the circumstances under which the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC had been imposed. Such prohibitory orders had been imposed across the State, he said.
The protesters returned after informing the Commissioner that they will hold a protest on December 24.
Meanwhile, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which was one of the organisations scheduled to participate in the protest scheduled for Thursday, issued a statement that it was postponing it.
SDPI leader Abdul Majeed said the BJP government should have provided the citizens their constitutional right to protest. However, he said the new date for the protest will be announced shortly.
Several people, unaware of the cancellation of the protest, turned up outside the venue, only to find the gates closed. The authorities had not only closed the gates of Town Hall, but also deployed a large contingent of police around the venue.
The police dispersed the people as they arrived at Town Hall citing imposition of prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC.
Meelad Park
However, a crowd began gathering near Meelad Park in the city soon thereafter. Several people in the crowd, which soon swelled, expressed resentment over the denial of freedom to protest. But, they were told to disperse in view of the prohibitory orders that were in force.
The police, meanwhile, had tightened security in various venues of protests in the city and other sensitive areas like Udayagiri, Mandi Mohalla, and N.R. Mohalla by deploying personnel from the City Armed Reserve (CAR) and Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP).
