Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday said the police action against protesters detained in Bengaluru a day earlier would be reviewed, stressing that the right to peaceful protest was fundamental to democracy.
“The handling of the protestors yesterday by Bengaluru Police will be reviewed. The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy. It must be respected, protected and never suppressed,” Kharge said in a statement posted on X.
Kharge said he had instructed the police to ensure that peaceful demonstrations were not disrupted. He also appealed to protesters to cooperate with the police and keep the authorities informed to safeguard their own safety and the rights of others.
“The police are here to protect your rights, not to stand in the way of your voice,” he said, adding that the government's responsibility was not limited to maintaining law and order but also included creating an environment in which citizens could express dissent freely and without fear.
“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.
The handling of the protestors yesterday by Bengaluru Police will be reviewed. The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy. It must be respected, protected and never suppressed.I have issued instructions to the police to ensure that no peaceful demonstration is disrupted.I also appeal to all protesters to cooperate with the police and keep the authorities informed, so that their safety and the rights of others are protected as well.The police are here to protect your rights, not to stand in the way of your voice.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.In a democracy, peaceful dissent is not a threat to law and order. It is a right that law and order must protect.
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) October 13, 2026
Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had also intervened on Monday, asking Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh to look into the incident and ensure that the right to peaceful protest was protected.
“Please look into this and ensure that the right to peaceful protest is protected,” Shivakumar wrote on X, tagging the police commissioner.
The statements came after Bengaluru police detained dozens of protesters, including students, lawyers, activists, academics and senior citizens, who had gathered to march towards the office of the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). Photojournalists covering the demonstration were also allegedly manhandled.
Protesters detained before march to CEO's office
The protesters had assembled near KR Circle and outside SJP College, opposite the Karnataka CEO's office, on Monday. They were demanding that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls be scrapped and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign.
The demonstration was organised under the My Vote, My Right campaign. The protesters had planned to submit a memorandum to the Karnataka CEO seeking the withdrawal of the SIR exercise and the restoration of electoral rolls as they stood in January 2025.
The demonstrators had also gathered to condemn the police action against protesters, lawyers, journalists and youth activists in Delhi on October 10.
The organisers alleged that police confiscated placards and began detaining people before the march could start. In a press note, they said protesters were pushed and dragged into buses, while some young protesters were beaten and women were manhandled.
The protesters also alleged that police personnel acted aggressively towards journalists attempting to document the detentions.
Photojournalists Pushkar V of Deccan Herald and Syed Asif of The Times of India were among those allegedly manhandled. The organisers said three other journalists were also manhandled during the police action.
The allegations have not been independently established in every instance.
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Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Akshay M Hakay said the protesters had assembled near KR Circle without permission or prior intimation, contrary to directions that demonstrations be held at designated places.
According to the police, the protesters were initially asked to move to Freedom Park but did not comply. They were subsequently taken into preventive custody and released, Hakay said.
He maintained that the police had acted with restraint and sensitivity. Acknowledging the friction between police personnel and journalists, he described it as unintentional and said it had occurred under strained circumstances.
Karnataka government's position on peaceful protest
The police action drew criticism because it occurred amid the Congress government's opposition to the SIR exercise and its criticism of the handling of protests in Delhi.
On October 12, both Shivakumar and Kharge had spoken out against the SIR process and police action against demonstrators in the national capital.
