Chittapur RSS route march: Peace meeting ends in acrimony, stalemate

The controversy over the proposed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) route march in Chittapur deepened on Tuesday (October 28, 2025) when a peace meeting convened by the Kalaburagi district administration, as directed by the Karnataka High Court, ended in acrimony after the RSS delegation rejected the demand made by other groups to give up lathis (wooden staffs) and replace them with national flags and copies of the Preamble to the Constitution during its centenary march.

The meeting, chaired by Deputy Commissioner Fouzia Taranum, was attended by representatives of 10 organisations, including the RSS, Bhim Army, Bharatiya Dalit Panthers, Gonda Kuruba ST Horata Samithi, Karnataka Rajya Chalavadi Kshemabhivruddi Sangha, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene, among others.

On different days

When Ms. Taranum asked if the organisations were ready to hold their respective route marches on different dates to avoid confrontation, a few organisations, led by the Karnataka Rajya Chalavadi Kshemabhivruddi Sangha, opposed granting permission to the RSS, claiming it was not a registered organisation.

Tensions erupted when CPI(M) district secretary K. Neela, Bharatiya Dalit Panthers leader Mallappa Hosamani, and scholar Prof. R.K. Hudgi jointly proposed that the RSS be allowed to hold its route march only if its volunteers agreed to give up lathis and instead carry the Indian national flag and copies of the Constitution’s Preamble.

Ambaraya Ashtagi, State vice-president of the BJP’s Scheduled Caste Morcha and a member of the RSS delegation, objected vehemently, questioning why the RSS should “follow others’ diktat” on how to conduct its event. “We have our own tradition and discipline. We cannot allow others to tell us what to carry in our march,” he reportedly said, sparking a heated exchange.

Other participants, including S.S. Tawde, Rajendra Kapanur, Dinesh Doddamani, Lachhappa Jamadar and other Dalit leaders who represented different organisations, countered that carrying lathis in a communally-sensitive town like Chittapur could provoke tensions and was “inconsistent with the spirit of constitutional democracy.” The argument grew sharp, leading to an abrupt end of the meeting without a consensus.

Sloganeering against RSS

Outside the meeting venue, a large number of supporters from various Dalit, Left, and progressive organisations had gathered. As the meeting broke up around 1 p.m., protesters raised slogans against the RSS and its “divisive politics,” prompting the police to escort the RSS representatives safely out of the Deputy Commissioner’s office premises.

“Since a large crowd had gathered outside, we provided safe passage to the RSS delegation as a precautionary measure,” said a senior police officer. Police personnel have been deployed in front of Mr. Ashtagi’s house.

Counter-marches

Emerging from the meeting, Bhim Army State president S.S. Tawde told reporters that his organisation, along with other like-minded groups, would hold their own route march on the same day as the RSS if it refused to replace the lathis with the national flag and the Constitution Preamble. “We will show our commitment to the Constitution,” he declared.

Dinesh Doddamani, District General Secretary, Karnataka Rajya Chalavadi Kshemabhivruddi Sangha, argued that the RSS was “setting Dalit leaders against each other.” “Since the majority of Dalit organisations opposed the RSS route march, they pushed forward Ambaraya Ashtagi, a Dalit and BJP leader, to counter us in the meeting. He is being used as a shield,” he alleged.

Mr. Ashtagi countered it and said, “I have no issue with the national flag. It was the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi that launched the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign. But we don’t need lessons in patriotism from anyone. The RSS will do what the court directs, not what other organisations dictate.”

The dispute began after Chittapur Tahsildar Nagayya Hiremath denied permission to the RSS on October 19 to conduct its route march, citing possible law and order problems, after multiple organisations sought permission for marches on the same route and date.

Ashok Patil, the RSS leader in Chittapur, then filed a writ petition before the Kalaburagi Bench of the Karnataka High Court, challenging the denial. On October 24, Justice M.G.S. Kamal directed the district administration to convene a peace meeting of all concerned organisations to work out a consensus and report to the court by next date of hearing, October 30.