The call for a Chamarajpet bandh, by the newly floated Chamarajpet Nagareekara Okkoota Vedike, to “save the playground” [Idgah maidan] met with a mixed response on Tuesday.
While most shops surrounding the maidan remained closed, except for medical shops, hotels, garages, and other emergency services, the bandh mostly failed to elicit any response beyond these few roads.
“Already suffering from losses, we cannot afford to close down business on the whims and fancies of some people,” said Shantamma, who runs a provision store in the area.
Even in these lanes around the maidan, many shops were open on Tuesday morning, when members of the okkoota, including prominent residents like Lahari Velu, associated with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), took out a padayatra, and distributed pamphlets to shopkeepers who had kept their shops open, requesting them for support and to down their shutters.
Most of the shops around the maidan closed down only later. Some private schools in the vicinity of the grounds had declared holiday for the day on Monday itself, anticipating trouble.
However, there was support for the cause as well. “We have been fighting to retain the public nature of this playground since the 1970s and this is not a new controversy created now. It is a public ground and we should also be allowed to hold events there,” said Suresh, a tailor in the area.
Activists of the vedike held a protest dharna and were detained by the police and later released. There was heavy police deployment in the area to prevent any untoward incident and the bandh call was peaceful.
Rukmangada S., general secretary of the vedike, termed the bandh a “success” and said they would soon meet Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and submit a memorandum and would also plan to hold a bike rally soon.
