Bengaluru, 9 May

A large crowd gathered at KR Circle in City on Friday as the ruling Congress in Karnataka organised the ‘Jai Hind Tiranga Yatra’ to express solidarity with the Indian armed forces that carried out Operation Sindoor.

The Indian tricolour fluttered at the venue amid loud chants of ‘Jai Hind-Jai Bharat-Jai Tiranga’, ‘Bharat Zindabad’ (Long Live India), ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ (Victory to India), and ‘Our soldiers are our pride’.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy DK Shivakumar, and several senior ministers participated in the march, which began at KR Circle and concluded at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

"Soldiers are our national pride. We stand in solidarity with them to convey that the entire country is behind them," Shivakumar said.

Mosques hold spl prayers

Meanwhile, City mosques witnessed special Friday prayers seeking peace, unity, and strength for Indian soldiers.

The special prayers were offered at all the mosques including Masjid-e-Bilal (Jayanagar), Masjid-e-Khadria (Benson Town), and Jamia Masjid (KR Market), where worshippers gathered in large numbers to offer Duas (prayers). Imams used the Friday sermons to denounce terrorism, condemn the Pahalgam terror attack, and call for national solidarity.

In parts of rural Bengaluru, some worshippers wore black armbands in silent protest, mourning the victims of the Pahalgam attack.

Similar prayers were held across mosques in districts including Bengaluru Rural, Udupi, Bidar, and Kalaburagi. In Udupi district alone, congregations in Kapu, Karkala, Kundapur, and Malpe offered collective prayers after Jum'ah. In Bidar, dozens of mosques including Jamia Masjid and Abdul Faiza mosque held special services.

Minister for Minorities Welfare, Zameer Ahmed Khan, who offered prayers at a Sheshadripuram mosque in Bengaluru, reiterated the state’s stand on condemning terror. A day earlier, he had formally written to the Waqf Board requesting Statewide special prayers.