Pro-Kannada activists staged a protest at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on Friday, demanding the immediate release of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists detained by Bengaluru police.
The protest was triggered by the detention of KRV State President TA Narayan Gowda. Earlier, a faction of protesters was freed by the police and received a grand welcome.
During the protest, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers were also present, with AAP leader Mukhyamantri Chandru supporting the pro-Kannada activists. Chandru asserted that they hadn’t committed any wrongdoing but instead acted in the manner the government should have initially.
Defending the workers, Chandru questioned, “What did pro-Kannada fighters do wrong? Robbed or murdered? Shop name boards in English and Hindi have been removed. Our pro-Kannada fighters have done what the government should have…If pro-Kannada fighters are not released, then we will teach the government a lesson in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.”
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The Bengaluru police detained KRV members on Wednesday for organising a protest demanding that businesses in Karnataka display 60% of their signboards in Kannada, as per state regulations. This awareness protest was led by TA Narayan Gowda. Five FIRs were registered in this regard.
Reports revealed that KRV activists vandalised shops with English-lettered signboards. They also damaged flower pots at the Mall of Asia in Bangalore and defaced English signboards with black ink.
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Addressing the incident, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress Chief DK Shivakumar stated that while everyone has the right to protest in a democracy, taking the law into one’s hands is unacceptable. Shivakumar stated,”In a democracy, everyone has the right to protest. We can’t tolerate anyone taking the law into their hands. I am disturbed that they (pro-Kannada protesters) vandalised boards and establishments etc.”
He reiterated that all shops must adhere to the recent BBMP order, directing them to prioritize Kannada on signage boards.
What is Kannada language row?
The Kannada language controversy has resurfaced following Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s statement in October, where he mentioned that “everyone living in this state should learn to speak Kannada”. “We are all Kannadigas. People speaking different languages have settled in this Kannada land since the unification of Karnataka. Everyone living in this state should learn to speak Kannada,” he added.
He underscored the historical settlement of people speaking various languages in Karnataka and urged them to learn Kannada.
During Siddaramaiah’s previous tenure as Chief Minister, he advocated for increased usage of the Kannada language. A governmental organization formed to promote Kannada issued an ultimatum to bank officials, instructing them to become proficient in Kannada within six months. Additionally, during the Congress leader’s earlier tenure, there were incidents targeting the Hindi names of Bengaluru metro stations, where they were defaced with black ink and covered with tape.