In a bid to preserve and promote the Kannada language, the Congress-led Siddaramaiah government has declared the mandatory use of 60% Kannada characters on nameplates and signboards of commercial shops in Bengaluru.
The chief minister emphasized that this initiative aims to safeguard Kannada’s identity, urging the public to follow the rule of the land. The deadline for compliance is set for February 28, 2024, with a stern warning that action will be taken against non-compliant establishments. The statement comes after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which is Bengaluru’s civic body, warned that commercial establishments in Bengaluru would face the threat of their trade licenses being canceled if 60 percent of their signboards are not in Kannada by the end of February.
Now, this issue over signboards is not new. In November 2019, the Bengaluru civic body had resolved to mandate 60 percent of Kannada and 40 percent of other languages on signboards. The authorities even issued more than 14,500 notices to business establishments over non-compliance. However, it could not be implemented to the fullest.
On Wednesday, the Kannada activist group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike took to Bengaluru streets, demanding ‘60% Kannada’ on all signboards of shops, malls, and other commercial establishments. The protest turned violent, leading to the vandalism of signboards of business establishments that did not use Kannada.
While some protestors tore down English signboards, others sprayed black ink on English letters. Several protesters stormed into businesses and tore down English signage. The rampage stopped after police intervention.
T.A. Narayana Gowda, chief of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, was arrested with 29 of his associates on Thursday. They were produced before a magistrate on December 28 morning. They were shifted to Parappana Agrahara Central Prison after the magistrate remanded them into judicial custody.
The police alleged that the accused not only held violent protests and damaged public property in Chikkajala but also manhandled police personnel and tried to prevent them from discharging their duties.
Speaking to media persons, Mr. Gowda said the police had made false allegations against him and KRV activists, claiming that they had attacked the police. He challenged the police to produce evidence that they had attacked the police personnel.
Meanwhile, reacting to the violence, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said the government will not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands in the name of fighting for the Kannada language.
In a rare instance, both the BJP and the Congress are on the same page regarding the demand.
Union minister and Karnataka MP Pralhad Joshi also backed the demand of 60% Kannada and asked why the establishments don’t want Kannada signage. “Everybody should be able to read the signs, and not everyone can read English. What is the harm in writing in Kannada as well as in English or another language, like Hindi? This is not England,” he said.
Days ago, party workers of Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had vandalized and pelted stones at shops in Pune as their signboards did not have Marathi on them. The police later detained seven to eight people in connection with the incident.
Under the amendment made in 2022 to the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act, all shops and commercial establishments in the state are mandated to set up signboards in Marathi.
In September this year, the Supreme Court also observed that shops in Mumbai are not exempt from this mandate.
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