K'taka cabinet decides on rules to check RSS activities in public, govt premises

The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal to frame new rules restricting Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activities in public spaces and government premises — a decision that follows not only state minister Priyank Kharge’s complaints about RSS presence in schools but also recent public outrage over the suspected suicide of a Kerala IT professional who alleged years of sexual abuse by RSS members in a dying statement posted on social media.

Minister Kharge, speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, clarified that the aim was not to “control any organisation” but to ensure that any public activity — marches, drills or events — be subject to government permission, rather than being carried out unfettered.

The move was sparked in part by Kharge’s letter to chief minister Siddaramaiah, which demanded bans on RSS activities in government and aided institutions, citing the role of such spaces in “indoctrination”. But the controversy further intensified when 26-year-old Kerala software engineer Anandu Aji was found dead in a lodge, allegedly by suicide, after accusing RSS members of repeated sexual abuse and harassment during his childhood spent in an RSS shakha (unit).

Kharge has claimed to have received threatening calls in recent days, and said the regulation would give the government discretion to approve or deny such activity.

“There will be fixed parameters. You cannot walk roads waving sticks or hold a patha sanchalana just by informing authorities. These acts will now be regulated,” he added.

The rules, he announced, would cover public places, government schools, colleges, offices, and aided institutions. He said the government would consolidate previous orders from the home, law, and education departments to issue the new regulation in the next two or three days, under legal and constitutional safeguards.

In his letter to the chief minister, Kharge cited concerns over RSS shakhas in public and educational spaces, alleging that slogans and ideology are being propagated among youth without oversight. Aji's allegations had given fresh fuel to those concerns, especially among opposition and civil society groups demanding a full investigation.

The proposed move has already drawn backlash from RSS-aligned groups and opposition leaders, accusing the government of ideological targeting. But the Siddaramaiah administration maintains its justification: that public institutions must remain neutral, uninfluenced by partisan or ideological mobilisation.

With PTI inputs