'Very troubling approach,' says Biocon boss as Mohandas Pai asks why police didn't stop violence in Bengaluru 

Pro-Kannada activists' violent actions in Bengaluru on Wednesday have not gone down well with some of the top executives of India Inc., who are now asking the Siddaramaiah government why the police did not act in time. Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Thursday said the soft-handed approach by the police during the violence was "very troubling".

Shaw's comment came while replying to a tweet in which former Infosys chief financial officer Mohandas Pai asked the police why they did not stop the violence. "How can police not stop such violence and vandalism?" asked Pai. He also questioned the silence of Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on the violence caused by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), an outfit that advocates for Kannada's supremacy in the southern state.

"Why is our Minister for Bengaluru @DKShivakumar on whom we have high hopes quiet? We need confidence-boosting measures from govt," the former CFO said.

Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India, witnessed massive violence on Wednesday when the KRV targeted business establishments and damaged their signboards and name plates that were in English. They smashed glass windows of shops and showrooms at several prominent business locations such as MG Road, Brigade Road, Lavelle Road, and UB City.

Shaw described the activists as 'paid vandals' and asked the deputy chief minister to take action against them to keep Bengaluru safe. "This soft-handed approach by the Police is very troubling. These are professional paid vandals - it's so obvious. @DKShivakumar please take action and keep our city safe," she said.

The KRV activists were led by convenor T A Narayana Gowda, who said that name plates and signboards in Karnataka should be in Kannada. "60% of the signboards and name plates should be in Kannada. We are not against your business but if you are doing business in Karnataka then you have to respect our language," he said.

Gowda warned that if one ignores Kannada or puts Kannada letters in small, his outfit will not let those businesses operate in Bengaluru. He also warned the government of the consequences in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 if it did not take their demand on Kannada seriously.

While the majority of people condemned the violence, some backed the activists saying those staying in Karnataka and doing business should learn the local language, Kannada.

Former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao backed the demand of giving more prominence to Kannada. "Local language has first priority, go see Europe and then talk," he said while replying to an author who said violence in Bengaluru over the Kannada language was not good for the state.

Alok Mishra, an author and poet, said that Bengaluru is known for IT, international business offices, and tech heads of the country, but such violence may create panic and investors might look a different way.

Mohandas Pai, too, said that one should respect Kannada but there should not be any violence. "Yes local language is important but why are you quiet about such violence? You were our CP before and used to protect us! the issue is the violence and lack of police protection, not language. We must respect Kannada but no violence," he said while replying to a tweet by Rao.

PTI reported that the traffic on the Ballari road leading to the Airport and many other places was chock-a-blocked with activists. The police, the report said, found themselves helpless before the agitating crowd, which had gone on a rampage. Narayana Gowda and the agitating members were later taken into preventive custody by the police.