The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Sunday held their scheduled route march in Chittapur, after the state high court on Saturday directed the government to uphold the decision by district authorities to issue conditional approval for the event, bringing to a close a long-drawn out dispute over approval, amid sustained and pointed criticism from state IT-BT, rural development and panchayati raj minister Priyank Kharge, who also serves as the Chittapur MLA.
The event, which, according to police, was held amid the strongest security deployment the town has witnessed in months, covered roughly one and a half kilometres.
Kharge used the occasion to question the organisation’s approach to law and procedure. “I have never opposed the route march. All I said was that permission should be taken. They have a habit of not following the rule of law. Now they are following the rules. Let them do it,” he said on Sunday in Kalaburagi.
He argued that his objections stemmed from what he described as attempts by the group to conduct activities on government land without proper approval. He added, “We have asked them to follow the law and Constitution, which they are doing for the first time in 100 years.”
The RSS had originally planned the march in Kharge’s constituency, but the district administration denied permission, prompting the organisation to approach the court. The event has been a political flashpoint from the moment permission was refused, given Priyank Kharge’s role in raising objections and the constituency’s association with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
The march began at the Bajaj Kalyan Mantap at around three in the afternoon. Close to three hundred uniformed volunteers participated, accompanied by around fifty band members. Participants walked for a little more than one kilometre before returning toward the starting point. The RSS framed the march as part of its larger organisational activities.
According to local police officers, authorities prepared extensively for the march, with a security presence that reflected the prevalent tension. Police said they cordoned off the starting venue early, while bomb detection units and sniffer dogs conducted inspections. Surveillance cameras were set up along the entire route, and drone monitoring was arranged to track movement throughout the march, they added. Senior officers including the superintendent, the additional superintendent and the deputy superintendent were stationed at key points, they said, adding that more than eight hundred personnel were deployed across the town. Additional forces from the State Reserve Police, the District Armed Reserve and about two hundred and fifty Home Guards were placed in sensitive areas, they said. Police added they had conducted route inspections before the event and held meetings with community leaders.
The preparatory work reflected concerns that the march could trigger tensions in a constituency with sharply-drawn political and ideological lines.
For Priyank Kharge, the issue centres on legal compliance rather than the event itself. “If they do not follow the conditions, they will face punishment as per the law. What is the problem here? Earlier, they used to communicate; now they are seeking permission,” he said.
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