The Congress-led Karnataka government has denied permission to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to organise a Tiranga March at Town Hall in Bengaluru, citing restrictions on holding demonstrations outside Freedom Park, the designated protest venue. The decision has raised questions about the Congress’s approach to protests, especially as both the party and CJP have been criticising the Election Commission.
Permission has been denied for the @CJP_for_India protest planned at Bengaluru’s Town Hall by the @INCIndia -led Karnataka government. Authorities have reportedly directed the organisers to hold the demonstration at Freedom Park, the designated protest venue in the city. COURTESY- TIMES NOW
— On Record (@OnRecordIndia) October 16, 2026
CJP had planned to hold the march at 4 pm on Friday, starting from Town Hall and ending at the Quit India Memorial near Mysuru Bank Circle on Kempegowda Road. Around 200 to 300 people were expected to join the march, which was being organised by CJP, Jagrata Karnataka and My Vote, My Right.
A senior police officer told Deccan Herald that the police had not granted permission because CJP had announced the programme at Town Hall on social media. The officer said Freedom Park was the designated venue for protests and gatherings could not be held at other locations. The police were also waiting for further information, as some messages indicated that the organisers might have cancelled the march.
CJP Karnataka coordinator Rahul Jagrata, however, said the organisers had submitted an intimation letter to the police but were yet to receive official communication on permission. He said the event was meant to be a peaceful Tiranga March, not a protest, and expressed hope that the police would allow the participants to proceed without any obstruction.
Jagrata said CJP, Jagrata Karnataka and My Vote, My Right had planned the march together and expected 200 to 300 participants. The route was to begin at Town Hall and end at the Quit India Memorial near Mysuru Bank Circle.
The denial has brought attention to the contrast between the Congress and CJP’s criticism of the Election Commission and the restrictions on the proposed march in Karnataka. Both the Congress and CJP are trying to malign the Election Commission, but when it comes to their own state, people with a similar ideology are not being allowed to protest. The decision has raised questions about the space available for demonstrations under the Congress government in Karnataka.
NSUI questions prominence given to AISA president
The Congress is also facing questions from within its ranks over the prominence given to All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora during the Opposition march to the Supreme Court on October 12. The march was organised to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, but Bora’s presence alongside Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has caused unease among members of the Congress’s student wing, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI).
Several NSUI members have questioned why the president of a rival student organisation was given such visibility when the Congress has its own large student wing. Their objections have fuelled concerns that the effort to elevate Bora’s profile alongside senior Congress leaders is coming at the cost of recognition for the party’s own student leaders.
