Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge has asked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to obtain formal police permission for its Vijayadashami route marches scheduled for October 25, stressing that merely informing the authorities does not meet the prescribed requirements.

Kharge criticised the organisation for treating notification to the police as sufficient. “Police aren’t the children of the slaves of RSS,” he told reporters.

Earlier, in a post on social media platform X, Kharge shared two letters submitted by RSS representatives to the Mahalakshmi Layout and Nandini Layout police stations. While one letter sought police cooperation, the other merely informed the authorities about the proposed march.

Addressing RSS members in his post, Kharge wrote that informing the Home Department or asking it to make arrangements was not equivalent to obtaining permission.

He urged the organisation to submit an application under the prescribed procedure and await formal approval from the competent authorities.

Citing the RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha annual report for 2025–26, Kharge said the organisation had conducted 562 route marches across Karnataka, involving 2.21 lakh uniformed participants.

He said simultaneous marches involving large numbers of participants would require substantial police arrangements, including personnel deployment, transportation, food, traffic management, security and other logistical preparations.

“These require planning, manpower and public resources,” Kharge said, reiterating that the organisation must apply through the prescribed process and obtain formal permission.

Speaking to reporters, Kharge said the RSS was not above the law and had to follow the same rules applicable to other organisations.

“If you want to take out a Ganesha procession, do you inform or seek permission? If you want to organise a programme that requires using a portion of the road, do you inform or seek permission? The same law applies to all, including RSS,” he said.

Kharge said the government would not deny permission arbitrarily. “If we find it appropriate, permission will be given. We won’t deny permission,” he said, adding that established procedures applied to everyone, including members of the government.

The minister has also been pressing for the RSS to register with the government.

In August, the Karnataka Cabinet approved the Karnataka Regulation of Use of Government Premises and Public Property Bill. The proposed legislation provides for penalties, including imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh, for unauthorised use of public property. It also proposes allowing arrests without a warrant in such cases.