Peace meeting ends without consensus on RSS route march in Karnataka's Chittapur

Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Oct 29 (PTI) The peace meeting convened by the district administration to discuss permission for RSS route march and similar rallies by nine other organisations in Chittapur on November 2 has failed to reach a consensus, official sources said.

The meeting was held as per the directions of the Kalaburagi bench of the Karnataka High Court, issued last Friday.

Chaired by Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner Fouzia Taranum, the meeting was attended by representatives of 10 organisations, including the RSS, Bhim Army, Bharatiya Dalit Panthers, Hasiru Sene, Karnataka Rajya Chalavadi Kshemabhivruddi Sangha, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, and Gonda Kuruba ST Horata Samithi, among others, officials said on Tuesday.

According to official sources, several organisations demanded that the RSS conduct its route march carrying the national flag and the preamble of the Constitution instead of lathis (sticks) and the Bhagavadwaja (saffron flag). However, RSS representatives attending the meeting rejected this proposal.

While some organisations opposed granting permission to the RSS on the grounds that it is an unregistered organisation, others expressed concerns that a march featuring lathis could lead to law and order issues and provoke tensions, they said.

RSS representatives maintained that they had the right to hold a peaceful route march as per their traditions. In response, the Bhim Army and other groups said they would organise their own route marches on the same day if the RSS refused to replace the lathis and saffron flag with the tricolour and the preamble.

This led to heated exchanges, forcing the meeting to end abruptly.

The issue began when authorities in Chittapur, the home constituency of Minister Priyank Kharge, denied permission for the RSS route march on October 19, citing "potential law and order concerns." The Chittapur Tahsildar had noted that the Bhim Army and other organisations had also written to authorities stating their intent to hold marches on the same route and on the same day.

However, on a petition filed by Ashok Patil on behalf of the RSS, the Karnataka High Court directed the group to submit a fresh application seeking permission to hold the march on November 2. The court also asked the authorities to review the application and submit a report by October 24.

Subsequently, on October 24, the High Court instructed the district administration to convene a peace meeting with all concerned parties and attempt to reach a consensus, and to submit its report by the next hearing on October 30. PTI KSU ADB