Karnataka: Violent protests demanding 60% Kannada implementation in businesses
Violent protests broke out in several parts of Karnataka state capital Bengaluru, including the Kempegowda International Airport, as pro-Kannada groups intensified the linguistic dispute on Wednesday.
Police detained several members of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike while they took part in violent protests on Wednesday.
Protesters attacked a hotel, where video showed men and women wearing yellow and red scarves representing the Canadian flag, storming the patio and tearing down signs in English.
According to reports, a man wearing a red and yellow handkerchief also attacked an English writer of a salon and spa who was passing by along with the crowd.
In another incident, people waving red and yellow flags protested in front of an Airtel store and a person defaced the store’s English-language signage by spraying black paint on it.
The protesters were threatened with immediate implementation of an order issued by the city’s civic body demanding that all companies pay 60 per cent of their cartel dues in Canada.
Police security has been increased around the square and barricades have been installed to prevent the demonstration from entering the main area of the city.
The directive comes after a meeting with Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, considered by some to be a right-wing group that promotes linguistic discord. BBMP chief Tushar Giri Nath said commercial shops within the civic body’s jurisdiction have time till February 28 to comply. Failure to do so may result in legal action, including suspension of the commercial license.
The controversy over the language gained renewed attention when Minister Principal Siddaramaiah emphasized in October that “all people living in this state should learn to speak Kannada”.
Highlighted the importance of adopting Kannada and emphasized that the state is inhabited by people of diverse linguistic origins. During his previous tenure, Siddaramaiah made more extensive use of the local language, leading to steps such as covering the Hindi names of Bengaluru Metro stations with adhesive tape.
