While the Mandya district and Mysuru city police have said that the bandh called by various farmers and pro-Kannada organisations on Friday will not be allowed, the authorities have imposed prohibitory orders in Mandya sub-division to ensure law and order in the light of threat to disrupt road traffic on Bengaluru-Mysuru highway and train services.
An order issued by the Assistant Commissioner of Mandya sub-division in Mandya district has declared the region between Nidaghatta in Maddur and Tubinakere in Mandya taluk as restricted area between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday to prevent any disruption to movement of traffic on the Bengaluru-Mysuru National Highway 275 and train services operating in the area.
The orders issued on Thursday have banned gathering of more than five persons, use of loudspeakers, carrying of weapons, shouting of slogans, and issuing inflammatory speeches.
People violating the ban orders will be booked under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.
The ban orders in Mandya sub-division come after calls were given by various organisations to take out a bike rally in Maddur and block trains in Gejjalagere and Mandya, besides blocking movement of traffic on Bengaluru-Mysuru highway on Friday.
The Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru K.V. Rajendra has issued prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC around Kabini reservoir in H.D. Kote taluk from 5 p.m. of Thursday to 5 p.m. of Friday as a precautionary measure against the protest planned by various farmers and pro-Kannada outfits.
In the wake of the call given by Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and Rajya Rakshana Vedike to lay siege to Kabini reservoir to protest the release of water to Tamil Nadu, Mr. Rajendra issued orders that ban assembly of more five persons, marrying of weapons and explosives, display and burning of effigies, shouting slogans, singing of provocative songs and displaying defamatory posters and signs in the area around Kabini reservoir on Friday.
In a separate press statement, the Mysuru city police, after making it clear that a bandh will not be allowed as the courts have termed it “unconstitutional”, said political parties and organisations will, however, be allowed to hold a protest near the old Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Press statements issued by Mysuru city and Mandya district police have cited the Supreme Court order of 1998 that terms bandh as “unconstitutional”.
The statements by the police quote the court that says: “As we find that organized bodies or associations or registered political parties, by their act of calling and holding bandhs, trample upon the rights of the citizens of the country protected by the constitution, we are of the view that this court has sufficient jurisdiction to declare that the calling of ‘bandh’ and the holding of it is unconstitutional…… We cannot also ignore the destruction of public and private property when a bandh is enforced by the political parties or other organisations. We are inclined to view that the political parties and organisations which call for such bandh and enforce them are really liable to compensate the government, the public and private citizen for the loss suffered by them for such destruction. The State cannot shirk its responsibility of taking steps to recoup and of recouping the loss from the sponsors and organisers of such bandh….”.
