RSS holds Vijayadaśamī route marches across Karnataka and central Tamil Nadu after the permission row
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi marched in Hubballi, two days after Karnataka's Home Minister said the Sangh must seek permission rather than merely inform police.
- The Hindu
- The Hindu
Members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh took out route marches in Hubballi and Belagavi on Sunday as part of their Vijayadaśamī observances, The Hindu reported. In Hubballi the march began at Nehru Maidan, wound through the city's main roads and returned to the starting point, with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and BJP MLAs among the participants.
Children dressed as Shivaji, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Swami Vivekananda joined the procession, some streets were decorated with rangoli and flowers, and residents showered petals on marchers. In Belagavi the march started and ended at the Sardar High School Grounds, passing Kittur Channamma Circle, the old city streets and Dharma Veer Sambhaji Chowk.
In Tamil Nadu, the RSS held route marches followed by public meetings at Samayapuram, Thuraiyur and Manapparai in Tiruchi district, Aranthangi in Pudukottai, Thanjavur and Pattukottai, Sendurai in Ariyalur, Velipalayam in Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai, police sources told The Hindu. The Karnataka marches followed a public row in which Home Minister Priyank Kharge said the RSS had to seek permission rather than merely inform police.
Ahead of the day, the Sangh had filed more than 60 applications in Bengaluru, and a senior police officer said on 23 October that most had been cleared under the standard procedure for large gatherings. Kharge had cited the RSS's own annual report to say more than two lakh participants took part in over 562 route marches in Karnataka.
Sunday's reports did not describe any disruption or police action at the marches covered. The Hindu's reports did not give participant numbers.
Key data
Over 60 applications filed in Bengaluru (The Hindu, 23 Oct). Kharge cited over 2 lakh participants in more than 562 marches in Karnataka in 2025-26. Marches reported in 2 Karnataka cities and 9 places in central Tamil Nadu.
Why it matters
The Vijayadaśamī path sañcalan is the Sangh's most visible annual observance, and marches going ahead under ordinary permission rules in Karnataka suggest the standoff has been settled by procedure rather than by court or ban. Tamil Nadu, where such marches have been litigated in past years, saw them held across a whole region.
GK: did you know?
The RSS marked its centenary in 2025; it was founded in Nagpur by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar on Vijayadaśamī in 1925.
