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Violence grips Bengaluru as civic body orders majority Kannada nameplates
Speaking to NIA, State Congress spokesperson said that while he sympathises with the sentiments of the vandals, he does not endorse their violent outburst
Representative image / Wikipedia
Violence erupted in Bengaluru, Karnataka's state capital, and Kempegowda International Airport on December 27 as pro-Kannada groups escalated the language dispute.
The activists vandalized nameplates and signboards that were not in Kannada in business districts like MG Road, Brigade Road, Lavelle Road, Residency Road, and Sadahalli Gate. Their outburst came after Bengaluru's civic body ordered shop owners to install 60 percent Kannada nameplates.
The city’s language row
Kannada signboards were first proposed by the state legislature in 2008. The Karnataka Shops and Commercial establishments act, 1961, which specifically mandated the dominant use of Kannada on business signboards, had Rule 24A inserted into it by notification.
According to Article 345 of the Indian Constitution, states have the right to choose any language they want to use for official purposes, and in 2018, the Karnataka High Court confirmed the rule and highlighted this right. The court further held that the state government is well within its rights to adopt kannada as its official language, and it's just a mere necessity for shops to display sign boards in kannada in furtherance of the rule.
Commenting on the violence that erupted in the city after the order, Congress spokesperson, and advocate Shathabish Shivanna, said exclusively to NIA, “I don't have an explanation as to why they did it, nor do I endorse their acts of vandalism or acts of destruction. They could've come in large numbers and done something creative as opposed to these acts of destruction. In a way, I understand where they are coming from, I relate to their sentiments, but I do not agree with their actions.”
According to S. Shivanna, the rules and laws have been around for a while and have been approved by the court, but there is clearly a lack of effective implementation.“We should not completely merge into the cosmopolitan and forget what truly our roots are,” he remarked maintaining that “Kannada is the emotion of people.”
The deadline for compliance has been extended by BBMP until February 28, 2024. Shops that fail to install Kannada nameplates by the date will face legal action and the cancellation of their licenses.
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