Bengaluru, 2 October

The State BJP on Friday held a sit-in demonstration outside the Bengaluru Police Commissioner's office demanding registration of a case against Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and his Cabinet colleagues, alleging they violated a court order by protesting in front of the CEO's office a day earlier.

BJP State President BY Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and Council R Ashoka and Chaluvadi Narayanaswamy, along with other leaders, met Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh and handed over a memorandum seeking action against the Chief Minister and Ministers.

The BJP, in its memorandum, alleged that Shivakumar and his Cabinet colleagues had violated a Karnataka High Court order by staging a protest on 1 October on the premises of the State Chief Electoral Officer's office and demanded that an FIR be registered against them. They noted that the designated protest space in Bengaluru is Freedom Park. 

Shivakumar, along with Congress leaders, on Thursday sat outside the CEO’s office demanding an FIR and an inquiry into the alleged misuse of Form 7 applications, which are submitted to object to the proposed inclusion/deletion of a name in the existing electoral roll.

"Was written permission granted for the protest? If so, a copy of the permission should be made public," the BJP said in the memorandum.

The BJP memorandum also said the Election Commission was a constitutionally independent institution and alleged that allowing its premises to be used for political protest raised questions about the autonomy of the electoral system, and sought CCTV footage of the protest. 

The BJP leaders later withdrew their sit-in after the Police Commissioner assured them that their representation would be considered and appropriate action taken, party sources said.

But Shivakumar rejected the charge and said he had only submitted a memorandum to the EC. 

“I went and submitted a representation to the Election Commissioner and sat there until my work was done. Other than that, where did I protest," he asked. “If they want to register a case, let them do it. If there has been any violation of the law, file a case.”