FIR against people 'fighting to retain nature'; residents up in arms

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The FIR against citizens who staged a peaceful protest by a walk around the Sankey Tank has angered residents of the city, for they deem it a deliberate attempt to curb dissent. The city police have booked over 70 citizens for participating in a walk against the proposed construction of the Sankey Road flyover. On February 19, citizens dressed in black gathered at the Sankey Tank, to engage in a peaceful march to oppose the Sankey flyover project.

According to the organisers, the event was held without disrupting any traffic or causing other nuisances in the vicinity. Yet, the Sadashivanagar police have registered an FIR after taking suo motu cognizance.

The walk was held in collaboration with eight organisations, including the Malleswaram Swabhimana Initiative (MSI), Sadashivnagar Residents Welfare Association (SRWA), Greenpeace India and Jhatkaa among others. “The FIRs are completely unnecessary and uncalled for. Firstly, the FIR was filed a month after the march/ demonstration happened. Secondly, the citizens did nothing wrong. They did not obstruct the traffic, raise any slogans or inconvenience other public.

All the organisers were speaking to the police officer Anil Kumar MS throughout. It wasn't a rogue civil disobedience. Most of the attendees were small children and common citizens who live near Sankey tank,” said a citizen who attended the walk told News Trail. The FIR has named Avijit Michael, the co-founder of NGO Jhatkaa among seven others and 60-70 unknown persons.

Micheal was served a notice by the police on March 17 to appear for questioning. As per the notice, Michael has been charged with IPC sections 341,141,149, and 283. The cops have also noted that the gathering involving 60-70 people took place without intimation to the police.

“I am a law-abiding citizen who is concerned about nature and the health of Bengaluru’s citizens and our children’s health. It is my constitutionally guaranteed right to peaceful protest in India, the mother of democracies and the nation of Mahatma Gandhiji, the stalwart of ahimsa and peaceful protest. I do not accept any of the charges laid out against me, as they have no merit,” he said in a statement.

“How can they file an FIR against people fighting to retain nature, a lake in their vicinity despite scientific evidence that it (Sankey flyover) wouldn't help because the process hasn't been thought through thoroughly? What a shame that instead of behaving proactive, they have decided to take this course,” said Sahana, an activist.

In Bengaluru, Freedom Park is the designated spot for processions, dharnas and protests under the Licensing and Regulation of Protests, Demonstrations and Protest Marches (Bengaluru City) order of 2021.

The Sankey road widening and construction of a flyover project from Bashyam circle to Malleswaram 18th cross requires more than 40 heritage trees to be axed for the project, severely affecting the ecology of the Sankey lake. The project is currently shelved after receiving much slack and is awaiting a response from the BMLTA.

"Do people from the area have no say in what happens around their area? Does it mean while the government uses public money, it cannot be questioned? It is a shame and a mockery! Democracy has a different meaning to us versus the police and sitting government. Children were walking and cleaning the lake area, what are we going to say to them?"

— Preeti Sunderajan, who participated in the walk