A group of student-youth organisations and independent activists in Bengaluru have come together to demand the restoration of their right to protest in the city's public spaces.
As of January 2022, the city police have imposed restrictions on protests and public gatherings, limiting them to Freedom Park in Bengaluru. The students expressed that limiting people’s right to protest for their fundamental rights is a gross violation of Article 19 of the constitution.
Dushyant Dubey, a Bengaluru-based activist, told EdexLive, “We understand that the police also have their own limitations. But at least the people should be allowed to protest and gather in public spaces with prior police permission. The restrictions stifle student issues and their democratic rights. For example, we have been campaigning against the suicide of the PES University student. Having to protest so far from the college campus, where all the students cannot even reach, does not make any sense.”
Given this situation, under the banner of Horatadaa Hakkigaagi Janandolana, several student and youth organisations like All India Students’ Association (AISA), Ambedkar Students’ Association, Students’ Islamic Organisation, Karnataka Vidyarthi Sanghatane and several others held a press conference on Monday, October 16.
On Monday, an ultimatum was submitted to the state government, home minister’s office, and state higher education minister Dr MC Sudhakar, demanding them to revoke the restrictions within one month.
In support of this, the student group AISA has also undertaken a signature campaign across campuses in Bengaluru to gain support from fellow students and raise awareness about this issue.
The student activists also added that if the state government fails to reverse the order restricting people’s right to protest in public places, students will flood the city’s streets as an act of open defiance against the state administration.
Student issues
During the conference on Monday, several student-related issues were highlighted by the activists who emphasised the need to protest in order to bring these issues to larger audiences.
These issues include irregular disbursal of scholarships, a ban on student unions and campus elections by the state government, fee hikes in public and private colleges across the state, student harassment at educational institutes, and more.
The student activists also visited the state education minister on Monday, October 16 and submitted a memorandum to his office. Karnataka Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar assured the delegation members that all the student demands were in the process of being worked upon in various stages of discussions and implementation, informed the students.
The group plans to continue its signature campaign to request the repealing of the government order restricting protests to Freedom Park and to get the student demands and reforms in the education system implemented at the earliest, informed the press release.
