Bengaluru: Forty-one Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists who were jailed for protesting against the Union government’s push for Hindi and opposing a Hindi promotion event were released today. Their release sparked celebrations with a procession, fireworks, and loud slogans as supporters escorted them back to the KRV office.
Speaking to the media, KRV state president T.A. Narayana Gowda declared that the fight against Hindi imposition would only intensify. “If anyone thought jailing our activists would silence their voices, that is utter foolishness. For our language and our land, going to jail is not a punishment but a badge of honor,” he asserted.
Gowda said activists have faced hundreds of cases, spent years in court, and served jail terms—but never backed down. “Our workers go to jail for Kannada, for Karnataka, for our mother tongue. Ministers and MLAs have gone to jail for corruption or politics, but never for Kannada. That is the difference,” he said.
Warning the state and central governments, Gowda declared that if Hindi continues to be imposed in Karnataka—whether in government offices or public functions—KRV will launch direct actions, including black flag demonstrations at events attended by ministers. “We will not allow Hindi to overshadow Kannada, a language with 3,000 years of history. Even Tamil Nadu has resisted Hindi for decades—Karnataka too must stand firm,” he said.
The KRV chief demanded that all cases against activists be withdrawn immediately. “If the government fails to withdraw false cases, protests will erupt everywhere. From tomorrow, wherever ministers go, they will be greeted with black flags,” Gowda warned, adding that the agitation against Hindi imposition will not stop until the state firmly rejects it.
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