Pralhad Joshi Challenges Karnataka Police Over CM's Unauthorized Protest

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has demanded accountability from Karnataka’s police leadership following a five-hour sit-in staged by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and his cabinet outside the state’s Chief Electoral Officer’s office. Joshi argued the protest occurred without the mandatory permissions typically enforced against opposition parties and ordinary citizens.

Editorial·October 2, 2026·reads: 395

Pralhad Joshi Challenges Karnataka Police Over CM's Unauthorized Protest

Joshi directed his inquiry at the Director General of Police and the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, pressing them on whether an FIR would be filed against the cabinet members. He highlighted that while protests are restricted to designated areas like Freedom Park, the Chief Minister bypassed these protocols entirely. The Minister warned that the police department’s failure to act sets a dangerous precedent, suggesting that if the law is not applied uniformly, citizens may soon feel emboldened to stage similar demonstrations directly in front of law enforcement offices.

Beyond the protest, Joshi dismissed the criticism leveled by Shivakumar and Rahul Gandhi regarding Form 7. He maintained that the form, which relates to electoral roll modifications, is public information accessible online. According to Joshi, the process allows any individual to submit the form, provided they follow up with the necessary local verification, branding the Congress leadership’s recent complaints on the matter as baseless.