Massive rally to ensure prominence to Kannada in sign boards; security beefed up in B'luru

Karnataka Police has beefed up security in Bengaluru on Wednesday in the wake of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, a Kannada organisation, demanding prominence to local language in sign boards of commercial buildings and malls in the city.

The organisation is taking out a massive rally as part of its Maha Abhiyaan taken up following the Karnataka Government issuing directions making Kannada compulsory in 60 per cent of the sign boards put up on commercial buildings.

The rally started from the Bengaluru International Airport Road and will pass through Yelahanka, Shivajinagar, Commercial Street, SP Road, Brigade Road, MG Road, Chikkapet, City Market, Avenue Road and reach Cubbon Park.

Karnataka Rakshana Vedike president Narayana Gowda had issued a warning to the owners of commercial buildings to give prominence to Kannada language in sign boards. He had also stated that if the sign boards were found to be only using Hindi and English languages, they will be taken down.

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner Tushar Girinath has directed that all sign boards should be in Kannada by February 28 in the state capital.

However, Vedike had given time till December 27 to change the sign boards, which was challenged by the owners of malls and commercial buildings.

The police have beefed up security for the Mall of Asia, pegged as the biggest in Asia as the management and Vedike are at loggerheads over the display of the name of the mall in Kannada.

The activists have torn down advertisements displayed in English and blackened the Hindi and English sign boards.

The police had to resort to baton charge to control the situation.

DCP North East BM Laxmi Prasad had stated that about 500 policemen have been deputed in his zone and 10 BMTC buses have been kept ready to detain Kannada activists if they cause a disturbance.

(With inputs from IANS)