By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Kochi: The Popular Front of India protested against the decision of the Karnataka state government to deny permission to hold the Freedom Parade in Mysore. Protest marches were organized in 42 places across the state.
“The Home Ministry and state BJP government interfered to deny us permission to celebrate the Independence Day,” said KM Shareef, national general secretary of the Popular Front of India.
Mr Shareef said that the PFI had applied for permission to hold the Freedom Parade in May itself. Earlier the authorities refused to give permission. But, the oranisation kept constant contact with the police and district administration. “We explained them about the Parade, that it had been conducted earlier also and that no problems had occurred then. At last they gave us permission orally for celebration but asked us to reduce the number of people and to organize a programme for communal harmony. We rescheduled our programmes accordingly. But in the end, they again denied permission.”
When the authorities denied permission to hold the parade in Mysore, the PFI asked for permission in adjacent places. But the authorities did not allow it. Mr Shareef said that the Police Commissioner and the district authorities knew there would not be any problem, but the state government interfered to deny permission.
The Udupi district unit of the PFI protested against the state government decision by staging a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office. The district committee also submitted a memorandum addressed to the Governor HR Bharadwaj at the Deputy Commissioner’s office.