There is no doubt that this is a period of increasing demand for different types of 'places' for different facilities.
Now the need for space is not just for living, working and playing. Another demand has been added to this list, a place to protest.
Be it Jantar Mantar in Delhi, Azad Maidan in Mumbai or any place designated for protest in any other part of the country, people need this for many reasons.
When incidents of crime against women come to light in the country's capital or in any state, people take to the streets to express their anger and resentment.
Protests take place even if there is a matter of giving reservation to any caste or depriving it of it.
Similarly, in different parts of the country, even when tribals or other deprived sections are not getting their rights, people gather at some public place to raise their voice.
In such a situation, a campaign started in Bengaluru named 'Freedom Park to Azadi' is attracting everyone's attention.
Demand for 'freedom from freedom park'
The demands of civil organizations, trade unions and student organizations are slightly different in Bengaluru, the technology capital of the country. He has started a campaign named 'Freedom from Freedom Park' i.e. 'Freedom from Freedom Park'.
Their demand is that people should get the right to protest not only at Freedom Park but also at other places in the city.
Freedom Park is spread over approximately 15 acres. Out of this, five acres of space has been earmarked for the people protesting in the Karnataka capital.
This campaign has started at a time when the police refused to allow any protest at Bengaluru's Town Hall in the last few weeks.
The Town Hall, located at one of the busiest intersections in the city, was earlier the main point of origin of protests in Bengaluru.
The last big demonstration at the Town Hall was against the Citizenship Amendment Act i.e. CAA. Well-known historian and social activist Ramachandra Guha was also among those arrested during that demonstration.
Guha was standing silently on the steps of the Town Hall. He had a poster opposing CAA in his hand. He was watching people from different sections of the society protesting on the other side of the road.
The news of Ramachandra Guha being detained reached the whole world.
After this, the sub-inspector who had detained Guha, who had written a series of books on Mahatma Gandhi, was immediately removed from there.
The then Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa might have realized that the detention of the historian was having an impact across the world.
Guha was released shortly after reaching the nearest police station.
After this the police dropped him to his home with respect.
After Guha's arrest, the police did not 'use force' to remove the people protesting in the middle of the road.
Instead, the police requested the protesters to move off the road so that others would not get stuck in traffic jams.
After this the Town Hall became the main center of anti-CAA protests.
Police requested instead of using force
But last Friday, when people gathered at the Town Hall carrying posters against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a senior police officer took the microphone and appealed to them.
The officer said, "The organizers of the protest have given in writing that only the tricolor march will be taken out from here to Freedom Park."
"You cannot raise slogans and show posters criticizing anyone. You can protest in Freedom Park."
"Please do not protest here. Doing so will be considered contempt of court."
Some youth protested against this and asked questions to the police officer.
Ultimately the organizers appealed to the people not to break the rules.
After this, without raising slogans, people silently moved towards Freedom Park carrying the national flag.
From August 2022, Freedom Park remains the final destination for all protests in the city.
This was the second tricolor march taken out from Town Hall to Freedom Park.
The distance between the two places is 2.7 kilometers. This march took place in the evening when there is maximum traffic on the city roads.
This silent procession passing through the main road of the city reminded many old people of Bengaluru of the bygone times. There was a time when about 35 thousand out of about 70 thousand employees of five big government companies took to the streets.
These employees worked in HAL, HMT, BEL, BHEL and ITI. He went on foot from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited i.e. HAL to Vidhan Soudha (Vidhan Sabha building) via Mahatma Gandhi Road.
Vidhana Soudha is the main center of power of Karnataka. These employees were demanding revision in salaries for many years.
When 35 thousand employees took to the streets
This incident is of 1980. After the famous railway strike of 1974, this was the second biggest confrontation between the central government and the working class.
After the railway strike, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi finally imposed emergency in the country.
Even after this, many big protests took place in different parts of Bengaluru. With time, Bengaluru expanded rapidly and the number of vehicles on the roads continued to increase.
This growth became especially rapid after the economic reforms of Dr. Manmohan Singh. With this, protests in the city started being seen as a problem. Whenever there was a protest in any part, the traffic there came to a complete halt.
In March 2021, Anganwadi workers and State Public Transport Corporation employees protested. After this demonstration, a judge wrote a letter to the then Chief Justice. Later both these judges reached the Supreme Court.
This letter of the judge automatically became a public interest litigation. The number of this case was 5781/2021. This matter came before the bench of the then acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Vishwajeet Shetty.
The bench directed the state government to make a proper arrangement to control the processions and protests, so that the common people do not face problems.
After this, the Bengaluru Police Commissioner issued an order named 'Licensing and Regulation of Protests, Demonstrations and Protest Marches (Bengaluru City), 2021'.
Since then, processions and protests in the city have been limited to Freedom Park.
It is ironical that Freedom Park has been built at the same place where Bengaluru Central Jail once stood.
Later this jail was moved to the outskirts of the city, near Electronic City.
In August 2022, Justice Aradhe's bench, while disposing of the petition, said that the licensing order should be followed.
'This is not an order of the High Court'
"It is completely wrong to say that protesting at any place other than Freedom Park is a violation of the High Court order," lawyer Maithri Krishnan said at a meeting of civic organizations, trade unions and students at Gandhi Bhavan.
"This is not a court order."
Lawyer Vinay Srinivas told BBC News Hindi, "There is a provision in the licensing order, according to which the Police Commissioner can also decide on some other place for people to protest."
Ramachandra Guha also attended this meeting.
"Ever since Freedom Park was made the only place for protests, I have been calling it a place where freedom has been shut down," he said.
"That's why I'm so happy with the slogan being used here, 'Freedom from Freedom Park'."
Guha said, "If you look at democratic countries in the world, there are always places for protests where other people can also see what their fellow citizens are thinking."
"Therefore, any country that claims to have even a modicum of democracy should provide space for protests."
'Dharna Corner' was in front of Vidhana Soudha.
For many years, there used to be a place in the diagonal direction right in front of Vidhana Soudha, which came to be called 'Dharna Corner'. Anyone who had any complaint could sit there and protest.
Just like demonstrations take place in front of the State Secretariat in Kerala. At the Gandhi Bhawan meeting, a trade union leader said it was important for any protest to "reach the eyes and ears of the government".
Guha said that when the representatives of the meeting met State Home Minister Priyank Kharge with their demands, one thing should be told to him clearly.
He said, "There cannot be such a situation that Chief Minister DK Shivakumar can protest in Delhi with Rahul Gandhi on the same issue, but does not allow protests in Bengaluru."
If the order is not returned then demonstration in the entire city
It was decided in the meeting that pressure would be put on the government to instruct the Police Commissioner to withdraw this order. If the order is not withdrawn, protests will be planned in different parts of the city.
"They don't want to take the matter to court right now," a retired law professor told BBC News Hindi on condition of anonymity.
"They're not sure how the court will respond to this case."
Representatives of civil society groups met State Home Minister Priyank Kharge in this regard. In response to a question asked about this meeting, Priyank Kharge said, "We are considering this issue. Representatives of civil society groups had come to me to appeal that protests should be allowed at other places in Bengaluru as well."
He said, "The government is not interested in limiting the rights of citizens. At the same time, we are also ensuring that the rights of those who are not involved in the protests are also taken care of. We will take a decision on this issue soon."
