On May 8, a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) community hall was the venue for a ‘Hindu Rashtra Convention’ which saw over 300 people gather to discuss bringing about a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. The convention was organised by right-wing organisation Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, and openly advocated for violence against the Muslim community, even going as far as saying they are a “cancer”, Boom Live reported.
Seeking to hold the organisers responsible for the hate speech at the convention, members of the Law and Policy Research Institute (LAPRI), founded by Zia Nomani, have filed a complaint with the Bengaluru police, with legal aid from the Alternative Law Forum (ALF). According to the LAPRI members, they approached the Sanjaynagar police to file the complaint first, but “the Inspector denied even putting an acknowledgement seal while he accepted our complaint”, they said. Finally, they were able to lodge a complaint with DCP (Deputy Commissioner of Police), north Bengaluru division, Vinayak Patil.
“We are hopeful that the Bengaluru Police will soon lodge an FIR and book the accused as per specified law,” the CLPR members said, adding that the First Information Report (FIR) must be filed by the police without intervention of courts.
The ‘Hindu Rashtra’ convention was held at a BBMP community hall in Bengaluru’s Rajajinagar, which saw several residents as well as leaders of right-wing groups and lawyers, among others, in attendance. Cries for putting an end to various conspiracy theories like ‘Love Jihad’, ‘Economic Jihad’ and ‘Land Jihad’ were met with enthusiasm by the attendees, Boom Live reported. Mohan Gowda, the Karnataka spokesperson of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (which is headquartered in Goa) even claimed that the Muslim community is ‘taking over the country like a disease’, and that the meeting was organised to “make people aware that we need a Hindu Rashtra”. One member even shouted, “Ghar mein ghuske maarenge, ek bhi mulle ko nahi chodenge” (We will enter their homes and beat them, won’t spare a single Muslim),” and received applause.
This came amid the most recent communally-charged controversy in Karnataka, where right-wing organisations began protests against mosques being allowed to play the ‘azaan’ or call to prayer between 10 pm and 6 am. The government had said that strict action will be taken against those found violating noise pollution rules, and on May 10, issued a circular that made it mandatory for permission to be obtained to use loudspeakers and other sound-producing equipment within 15 days.
This article first appeared on thenewsminute.com