Students detained during protest march to EC office

Bengaluru : Members of student organisations were detained on Saturday when they attempted to march towards the Election Commission office here, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls.

The protesters gathered at Freedom Park here and raised slogans demanding the scrapping of the SIR process amid heavy security arrangements. They were allegedly detained shortly after attempting to march towards the EC office.

According to organisers, the demonstration was jointly organised by several student organisations, including the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) and All India Students’ Federation (AISF).

In a statement issued on Saturday, AISA Karnataka strongly condemned the police action, claiming that the detentions raised serious concerns about their legality and amounted to the “blatant suppression” of the democratic right to protest.

Heavy police deployment was witnessed at the protest site in Freedom Park, with hundreds of personnel deployed and roads barricaded on both sides to prevent protesters from reaching the EC office, which is barely a few hundred metres away, it alleged.

It further alleged that protesters were taken into custody when they attempted to bypass the barricades. “We demand that the Congress government in Karnataka immediately stop the detentions, release those detained, remove the barricades and allow the protest to proceed peacefully. The government must also open up all the spaces within Freedom Park that have remained barricaded for the past half a decade and ensure that citizens can exercise their democratic rights without intimidation or obstruction,” it said.

Cop suspended for consuming liquor on mosque terrace

Kalaburagi : A police constable attached to Mahagaon police station in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district has been suspended on Saturday after a video purportedly showing him consuming liquor on the terrace of a mosque in Harasuru village went viral on social media.

The suspended constable has been identified as Hanumantha. The incident took place in Harasuru village in Kamalapura taluk, where villagers recorded a video of him allegedly consuming alcohol on the terrace of a mosque.

Taking note of the video and the sensitivity of the matter, the police department initiated a preliminary inquiry and subsequently suspended the constable. According to police, a dispute had occurred in Harasuru village, following which Hanumantha and other personnel were deputed there as a preventive measure to maintain law and order. The constable allegedly consumed liquor while on duty.

Following the preliminary inquiry, which reportedly established that he had consumed alcohol, Kalaburagi Superintendent of Police Adduru Srinivasulu issued the suspension order.

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