By Tanya Arora
The coastal districts of Karnataka have long been a microcosm of India’s complex communal dynamics, marked by sporadic tensions and incidents that reveal deep-seated divisions. The year 2024 was no exception, with a total of 48 communal incidents recorded in the Dakshin Kannada and Udupi region, as per a report compiled by Suresh Bhat B., a member of the Karnataka Communal Harmony Forum and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Mangalore. The report, named “A Chronicle of Communal Incidents in the Coastal Districts of Karnataka in 2024”, contains the details of these incidents that span a broad spectrum, ranging from moral policing and allegations of religious conversion to hate speech and the desecration of places of worship.
A striking feature of the year’s events is the prevalence of moral policing, predominantly by Hindu vigilantes, accounting for 10 incidents, with three others involving unidentified groups. Religious conversion allegations also sparked tensions, though such incidents were limited to one case involving Hindu fundamentalists. The contentious issue of cattle vigilantism saw two reported cases, both allegedly carried out by Hindu vigilante groups.
Hate speech and hate crimes, both online and offline, emerged as a significant concern, with 27 incidents being reported. These included inflammatory remarks by Hindu fundamentalists in 15 cases, and 10 instances of hate speech proliferating via social media platforms. While Muslim fundamentalists were linked to two online hate incidents, the overwhelming majority of such activity was attributed to Hindu fundamentalist groups.
Attacks on places of worship were relatively rare in the coastal district of Karnataka but nonetheless symbolic of the communal fault lines, with one reported incident allegedly involving Hindu fundamentalists. Additionally, four other communal clashes or acts of violence were noted, including three attributed to Hindu fundamentalists and one to Muslim fundamentalists, with an unidentified group implicated in another.
These statistics offer a window into the persistent communal tensions in Karnataka’s coastal districts, underscoring the urgent need for proactive measures to foster harmony and curb the growing influence of vigilante groups. This report seeks to chronicle these incidents, not only to document the events of 2024 but also to highlight the socio-political conditions enabling such divisive activities. Through this report and this analysis, the aim is to contribute to ongoing efforts towards promoting peace and unity in this troubled region.
This story was originally published in newsclick.in. Read the full story here.
