Karnataka bandh on 22 March: What services are expected to be shut and open?

While essential services like hospitals, milk supply, and metro will operate, taxis, BMTC buses, and cinemas will be shut. Schools will continue with exams despite the bandh.

Rashmi Patil

Published Mar 20, 2025 | 2:55 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 20, 2025 | 2:55 PM

File photo of KSRTC buses during a bandh. (Supplied)

Synopsis: A state-wide bandh called by 3,000 pro-Kannada organizations on 22 March, led by Vatal Nagaraj, demands action on issues like anti-Kannada activities and the Kalasa Banduri project. While essential services like hospitals, milk supply, and metro will operate, taxis, BMTC buses, and cinemas will be shut. Schools will continue with exams despite the bandh.

A state-wide bandh has been called by pro-Kannada outfits on Saturday, 22 March, with 3,000 organisations supporting it. The bandh is expected to be observed from 6 am to 6 pm.

These organisations and the protest led by Vatal Nagaraj, President of Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, have placed some demands before the state government.

The demands include:

Ban on Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti for anti-Kannada activities and harassing of Kannadigas.
Opposition to learning Hindi and its imposition on Karnataka.
Immediate implementation of the Kalasa Banduri and Mahadayi project and improvement of the Northern Karnataka region.
Opposition to the Central government for not providing exact GST share as well as sufficient funds in the central budget for Karnataka.

On 21 February, a group of Marathi youth assaulted bus conductor Mahadev near Sulebhavi-Balekundri in Belagavi after he asked a passenger to speak in Kannada, which caused tensions.

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What will be open

While routine life is expected to see disruptions, emergency and other services will be running as usual, and they include:

Hospital and medical services including pharmacies will be open.
Milk supply will also not be disrupted.
Hotels and restaurants will be open across Bengaluru.
Metro services are expected to function as usual.

PC Rao, president of Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers Association said, “We will be providing moral support but the hotel and food industry will not shut down. It will be open as a lot of people including senior citizens are dependent on hotels for breakfast. We too have the burden of paying salaries and rent.”

A Bengaluru Metro official also confirmed that the metro services in the city will be available. “Depending on the situation on that particular day, we will take a call, ” he added.

Also Read: Belagavi: Bus conductor attacked for asking passenger to speak in Kannada

What will be shut

The services which will remain shut are:

Ola, Uber taxis and autos have decided to support the bandh hence there will be no services.
BMTC buses and KSRTC services will be also disrupted.
As the film chamber has come forward to support the bandh and its cause, cinema theatres and film are likely to be shut.

Tanveer Pasha, president of Ola, Uber taxis association has confirmed that they will be supporting the cause of the bandh. “There will be no services of taxis across Bengaluru.”

Anand, President of KSRTC drivers union has also confirmed that there will be no service of buses across the city and state as well. “We are going to support the bandh and buses will not operate from 6 am to 6 pm on 22 March.”

However, the primary schools and higher primary schools have decided to go ahead with their exams. Shashikumar D, secretary of Associated Management of English Medium Schools in Karnataka, said, “We have decided to go ahead with the exams for schools because disruption would be troublesome to parents as well as children.”

Vatal Nagaraj had earlier confirmed that the bandh date would not be changed despite the SSLC exams. Let the government itself postpone SSLC exams.

(Edited by Sumavarsha.)