Mysore/Mysuru: In anticipation of the upcoming general election to Lok Sabha, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to announce the dates soon.

In light of this, the Mysuru City Police have conducted rowdy parades (mob parades) involving over 1,000 individuals in all four Sub-Divisions in the city — Devaraja, Krishnaraja (KR), Narasimharaja (NR) and Vijayanagar.

These parades serve as a precautionary measure aimed at dissuading individuals with a history of disruptive behaviour from engaging in activities that could potentially disturb the peaceful conduct of the elections. Senior Police officials have issued warnings to individuals against participating in any unlawful activities and have stressed the importance of maintaining peace throughout the electoral process.

All Police Stations falling under the jurisdiction of a specific Sub-Division participated in the parade. According to sources, each Sub-Division reportedly houses over 200 individuals with a history of involvement in criminal activities, commonly referred to as ‘rowdy-sheeters’, and each of them has a corresponding ‘mob card’ maintained at their respective Police Station.

The Vijayanagar Sub-Division sleuths organised the parade at Hebbal Police Station premises, while the Krishnaraja Sub-Division conducted theirs at Vidyaranyapuram Police Station. The Devaraja Sub-Division held the parade at P. Kalinga Rao Hall located within the Exhibition Grounds, and the Narasimharaja Sub-Division conducted their parade at the Jail Grounds situated on Ashoka Road.

The parades were addressed by Assistant Commissioners of Police of Sub-Divisions and warned individuals not to indulge in any illegal activities during sensitive situations, particularly in the lead-up to elections. Officers discouraged them from engaging in any activities that could disrupt the peaceful conduct of elections, such as violence, intimidation,  or rigging.

The ACPs reiterated the potential consequences of any disruptive behaviour they might attempt and reassured the public about the Police’s commitment to maintaining law and order during the elections.

Several rowdy-sheeters have approached the Police, stating that they were declared rowdies years ago but have since reformed and are no longer involved in criminal activities. Moreover, many of them are now over 60 years old and leading respectable lives. They have requested the Police to consider removing their names from the rowdy list.

Furthermore, the Police have noted that several individuals previously declared as rowdies have relocated out of Mysuru, prompting the need for their names to be removed from the list. Additionally, it has been observed that the names of individuals who have recently engaged in criminal activities and are not currently on the list need to be updated accordingly.

In light of these developments, the Police have advised these individuals to avail themselves of various government facilities in leading respectable lives.