Bengaluru Bandh? Outfits Warn Of Citywide Shutdown If KRV President Not Released From Jail

Over 25 Kannada organizations, including the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), threatened citywide shutdown (Bengaluru Bandh) if their president, TA Narayan Gowda, and others arrested for Wednesday's vandalism remain jailed.

Praveen Kumar Shetty, state president of another KRV faction, criticized the government's arrests, emphasizing that these activists were advocating for the preservation of the Kannada language.

Shetty declared at a press briefing that a decision regarding a specific date for action would be made soon. Should the activists remain incarcerated beyond that chosen date, Bengaluru bandh would be called.

The groups aimed to wait until February 28, 2024-the BBMP deadline requiring establishments to display 60% Kannada signage on their nameboards. Failure to comply with this regulation might prompt street demonstrations and removal of non-compliant signboards. Shetty lamented the government's failure to ensure compliance, suggesting that such actions wouldn't have been necessary if the laws were upheld.

Writer HamPa Nagarajaiah criticized the activists' arrests, acknowledging isolated incidents of signboard removal but attributing these acts to the frustration of those advocating for the language. Nagarajaiah highlighted that most activists were urging private entities to respect the local language and laws rather than engaging in vandalism.

Mahesh Joshi, president of Kannada Sahitya Parishat, expressed the Parishat's unwavering support for the release of all detained pro-Kannada activists, deeming their arrest unjust.