Tejasvi Surya detained during Namma Metro fare hike protest, calls Karnataka govt 'khali trunk'

The detention came a day after Surya was served a notice for holding a protest at the metro station without prior permission.

• Tejasvi Surya detained during protest against Namma Metro fare hike in Bengaluru
• Proposed metro fare hike put on hold pending board review
• Surya calls for white paper on Karnataka's finances and public transport affordability

Did our AI summary help?

Bharatiya Janata Party MP and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) national president Tejasvi Surya was briefly detained and later released by police on Monday after attempting to stage a protest near Jayanagar Metro Station in Bengaluru against the proposed hike in Namma Metro fares.

The detention came a day after Surya was served a notice for holding a protest at the metro station without prior permission. Despite the warning, he returned with party workers and staged a demonstration, carrying empty trunks to symbolise what the BJP termed the Karnataka government’s "weak finances" and the growing burden on commuters.

Addressing reporters during the protest, Surya criticised the Congress-led state government, calling it “shameful” that authorities were detaining protesters instead of addressing infrastructure issues and rising public transport costs.

#WATCH | Karnataka: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya was detained (now released) by the police today near Jayanagar Metro station in Bengaluru when he again tried to stage a protest in front of the metro station. He was served a notice yesterday for staging a protest at the Metro station… pic.twitter.com/LYtAjDKpPH

— ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2026

“We are asking for affordable public transport,” Surya said, claiming the proposed fare hike had been put on hold for the second time due to pressure from the Union government. He also demanded a white paper on Karnataka’s financial condition.

After his release, Surya took to X, asserting that his detention would not silence him.

“Arresting me won’t silence me! Shameful that the Congress government arrested me for exposing the truth: That this is a ‘Khali Trunk’ Govt. That Karnataka’s finances are broken, and citizens are paying the price through rising Metro fares and soaring costs,” he wrote.

Arresting me, won’t silence me! Shameful that the Congress government arrested me for exposing the truth: That this is a ‘Khali Trunk’ Govt. That Karnataka’s finances are broken, and citizens are paying the price through rising Metro fares and soaring costs. No more excuses.… pic.twitter.com/jDjHhmz0Jf — Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) February 9, 2026

In the same post, he urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to present a white paper during the Budget session and answer questions on why the state’s finances were weak, why public transport was becoming unaffordable and why prices were rising. He argued that restoring financial support to the metro system would help bring fares down.

Earlier, Surya had alleged that the Karnataka government repeatedly asked the Fare Fixation Committee to raise metro fares and had proposed a five per cent hike, which he said would further burden commuters. He also cited a year-old social media post by Siddaramaiah directing a reduction in metro fares, questioning how the Chief Minister could now claim the state government had no authority to revise fares.

Reacting to the protest, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao accused the BJP of politicising the issue. “Unnecessarily, the BJP people want to make politics out of everything. The metro is run by the State and Central government, and it is a separate corporation. CM has already written to the Government of India not to increase the fare,” Rao told reporters. He added, “Now, Tejasvi Surya is saying that they are not going to increase, so let there be an official order, then we will see.”

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has maintained that no one sought his opinion on the proposed hike, noting that the Fare Fixation Committee was headed by a Union secretary.

Meanwhile, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) said on February 8 that it had put the proposed annual fare revision on hold until further orders. It clarified that its February 5 media release proposing zone-wise increases of Re 1 to Rs 5 from February 9 would be reviewed by the board before any final decision.

Surya said Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had instructed officials to temporarily pause the hike and assured a review of anomalies in the Fare Fixation Committee, including the possibility of constituting a new panel if the state government requested it.

Union Steel and Heavy Industries Minister H D Kumaraswamy also blamed the Karnataka government, alleging it pushed ahead despite the Centre’s objections and later shifted responsibility.

Reiterating its position, BMRCL said it remained committed to providing safe, reliable and affordable metro services and that the final decision on fares would be communicated after the board completed its review.