Pro-Kannada Protests: 53 Arrested for Vandalising Signboards in Bengaluru

A day after thousands of pro-Kannada protesters flooded Ballari Road in Bengaluru demanding Kannada language signboards, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said, "We are not opposed to anyone holding protests but legal action will be taken against those who take the law into their own hands."

The protesters belong to the pro-Kannada group called Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Narayana Gowda faction).

Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayanand on Thursday said that ten First Information Reports had been registered, and 53 people, including the president of a group 'Karnataka Rakshana Vedike', TA Narayana Gowda, were arrested, reported news agency IANS.

Know more:

• The newly opened Phoenix Mall of Asia in the city was ground zero of the protests, the report said.

• Traffic on the road leading to Kempegowda International Airport was tied up as a result of the rally.

The vandalism: Pro-Kannada protesters were reportedly seen:

• Pelting stones

• Smashing English-language billboards

• Climbing and spray painting such billboards black

English signboards destroyed on Lavelle Road. Where are the cops!!

At least 20 shops!! pic.twitter.com/1TwoOFMaVM

— Aral Lobo (@aralalobo) December 27, 2023

The escalation: According to The Hindu, the protests turned violent when police detained Narayana Gowda, the faction's leader.

• KRV members blocked the police vehicle and tried to deflate its tyres, the report said.

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“We are not opposed to anyone doing their business in Bengaluru. But this is Karnataka, and Kannada needs to be given primacy. We are only asking for the law on signboards to be followed. Some may have got police protection today, but the police would not be around every day. Our members are keeping a watch. This is a warning to mend your ways and respect Kannada, or else you will be forced to pack your bags and return home," Gowda was quoted as saying.

The Demand

Earlier this week, Bengaluru's municipal body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, announced a rule that all commercial establishments will have to use 60 percent Kannada on their sign and name boards.

The guideline states that more than half of a signboards should read in Kannada, reported Hindustan Times.

Commercial establishments have been given a deadline of 28 February to update their board, failing which the shops will be closed and their trade licenses cancelled, the report added.