‘Shame on you, Yediyurappa’: Siddaramaiah slams CM over Sec 144 in Karnataka

Section 144 has been imposed across Karnataka including in Bengaluru in the wake of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

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Hours after permissions for all protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act were cancelled and Section 144 was imposed across Karnataka, Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed the ruling BJP in the state and the Chief Minister, BS Yediyurappa.

“After series of assault on the values enshrined in the Constitution, it is time to take away the Right to Peaceful Protest through Sec144. I never expected @bsybjp to play to the tune of @narendramodi. I thought he was more progressive & inclusive. Shame on You Mr. Yediyurappa,” Siddaramaiah tweeted on Thursday morning.

After series of assault on the values enshrined in the Constitution, it is time to take away the Right to Peaceful Protest through Sec144



I never expected @bsybjp to play to the tune of @narendramodi. I thought he was more progressive & inclusive.



Shame on You Mr. Yediyurappa. December 18, 2019

Two protests were given permission initially for Thursday — one at Bengaluru’s Town Hall and another, called by Left parties, at Mysore Bank Circle.

Protesters, however, defied prohibitory orders and showed up at Town Hall on Thursday morning, where a few people were detained, including historian Ramachandra Guha.

On Wednesday night, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao announced that Section 144 had been imposed in the city for three days, following which the Home Minister confirmed that it was being imposed across the state till midnight on December 21. Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure prohibits the assembly of more than four people in a particular place. Following the imposition of Section 144, permissions were cancelled for all protests. The police had said that action will be taken against those who violate prohibitory orders under section 188 of the IPC. (Disobeying orders promulgated by a public servant).

Justifying the decision in a press conference at his office on Wednesday night, Bhaskar Rao said, "As many as 60 groups (both for and against) CAA had requested permission for protests on Thursday. We took a decision that both groups should not be allowed. Taking into consideration what's been happening in various parts of the country where protests and processions have resulted in violent actions, resulting in large scale law and order problems, including injury, death and police firing, buses being stoned and burnt, we do not want such a situation in Bengaluru."

Furthermore, when the Commissioner was questioned if such an order is against the right of the citizens to protest, he said, "People have a fundamental right to protest but fundamental right stops when someone's wellbeing is affected. We have taken this decision to ensure normal Bengaluru runs peacefully."