A Tiranga rally organised by Left organisations, civil society groups, farmer unions, Dalit organisations and members of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in Bengaluru on Friday was delayed for nearly 30 minutes after police objected to participants carrying protest placards outside Town Hall.

Around 5.30 pm, the participants, carrying the national flag and portraits of B R Ambedkar, eventually proceeded to Freedom Park, where they held a protest demanding the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

However, the police objected to placards demanding the withdrawal of SIR and Kumar’s resignation, stating that permission for the march was granted subject to conditions.

Questioning the police action, a protester said, “We are carrying the national flag and a portrait of Ambedkar, and we are proceeding to Freedom Park. Where is the hindrance here? How can the police tell us what to carry and what not to carry?…