RSS ban row: K'taka govt reissues old circular, forbids using school premises for private purposes

Bengaluru, Oct 16 (IANS) The Congress-led government in Karnataka on Thursday re-released an old circular issued by the office of the Commissioner of the Karnataka Public Instruction Department, which forbids using government school grounds for private purposes. 

The circular, dated February 7, 2013, clearly states that government school grounds and premises should not be used for private purposes or for activities other than academic ones.

With this, the Siddaramaiah government seems to be preparing to ban Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activities on the premises of government and aided schools in the state. This follows a letter on the issue from Minister for RDPR, IT and BT, Priyank Kharge.

Sources in the CMO confirmed that the release of this old circular was in response to Kharge’s letter demanding a ban on RSS activities in public places, including schools and colleges.

The circular, signed by then Commissioner S.R. Umashankar, stated that when a request was made to allow the use of government school grounds in Chamarajpet, Bengaluru, it was found that such premises should only be utilised by schoolchildren for daily activities such as sports, physical education, and academic purposes.

“In this background, school premises and grounds should not be used for activities unrelated to academics or educational objectives. It is directed that no permission should be issued for such purposes,” the circular said. It further instructed that proposals seeking permission for such use should not be forwarded to the Commissioner’s office.

According to sources, the state government intends to use this circular to enforce a ban on all RSS activities within school premises and grounds. They also confirmed that the issue will be taken up in the cabinet meeting on Thursday (October 16).

Speaking on the development, Home Minister G. Parameshwara said on Thursday in Bengaluru, “At present, the issue of banning RSS activities is not on the cabinet meeting’s agenda. If it comes up as an additional agenda item, we will discuss it and make a decision. Usually, there are additional agendas.”

He added, “There is already a provision against allowing private or religious activities in government spaces. This is not new. However, it has not been strictly implemented. At times, when one or more organisations sought permission for public grounds, a decision was taken to either allow one of them or deny permission to all. We will see what decision is taken in the cabinet meeting when the matter comes up for discussion.”

It may be recalled that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also asked Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh to examine the demand for banning RSS activities in public places, especially government and aided school premises. The CM further directed her to study the measures taken in this regard in Tamil Nadu.

--IANS

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