A dawn-to-dusk bandh was called in IT city Bangalore on Thursday by scores of Kannada organisations to protest against the rising incidents of rape against women and children.
The bandh has evoked mixed response. Many business establishments across the city in response to the bandh had closed voluntarily while,State-run buses played with very few passengers travelling in the routes. Namma Metro was seen playing empty and a section of auto-rickshaws played shuttling a thin travelers in the otherwise busy city. Many private colleges and schools had declared holiday supporting the band called by the Kannada organisations who protested against the rising sexual offences against women and children. Government offices and banks functioned normally.
The bandh was called by Kannada Okkoota ( federation of Kannada organisations) demanding severest punishment to the perpetrators of sexual offences. Some of the shopping malls were closed in the city and many cinema theatres cancelled shows. Security has been beefed up in view of the bandh with Bangalore police and central forces who were kept in high alert.
According to police, no untoward incidents were reported in the city. The bandh was organised after the gang rape incident of a six-year-old school girl in an upmarket Vibgyor international school in Bangalore east which evoked strong protests by parents and many organisations against the Government and the school management.
The recent spate of rapes in Bangalore which include rape of a 22-year-old woman in a car while she was with her friend and that of a 15-year-old nun at a seminary in Bangalore had led to public anger and rising concerns over safety of women in the city.Facing public heat, police issued tough guidelines to schools for safety of children and the Government has tightened the Goondas Act to bring sexual offenders under its ambit.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reviewed bandh situation in the city along with Home Minister KJ George, DG and IG lR Pachau and Police Commissioner MN Reddi.Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who is under attack by the Opposition parties, parents and many organisations for inept handling to the rape cases, has refused to hand over the six-year-old rape case of a child in Vibgyor school to the CBI.
He said “The State police is investigating the rape case and they have taken up the case very seriously. There is no need of handing over this case to the CBI”.