Thousands protest parks amendment Bill at Lalbagh

A diverse group of individuals, including residents, children, RWA members, BJP MPs, and Kannada activists, gathered at Lalbagh on Sunday morning to protest against recent amendments to two laws and a tunnel road project. Led by 91-year-old environmental activist A.N. Yellappa Reddy, the protestors opposed the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which allows the government to acquire 5% of park land for the tunnel project.

BJP MPs L.S. Tejasvi Surya, C.N. Manjunath, Shobha Karandlaje, and P.C. Mohan were among the leaders of the protest. They walked through Lalbagh, hugged the ancient Peninsular Gneiss, and chanted slogans calling for the scrapping of the amendment. Environmental activist Reddy demanded immediate action from the state government to reverse the park amendment and questioned Chief Minister D.K.

Shivakumar about the lack of proper planning and approval for the tunnel project. Children and students also joined the demonstration, with a college student expressing concern over the potential loss of green space and calling for alternative solutions like better public transportation. The protest leader Surya vowed to continue the movement against the park amendment and tunnel project, urging the Governor to withhold his assent.