Two Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs in Karnataka have urged Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to drop cases filed against more than 2,000 Hindutva activists since 2014, the Hindustan Times reported on Friday. While one MLA referred to cases filed against activists protesting against Tipu Jayanti celebrations, the other wrote about the arrests of protestors after communal clashes in Uttara Kannada district in 2017.
Last week, the BJP came into power in the state for the first time since 2013, barring a two-day span in May 2018. Soon after, the Yediyurappa government cancelled Tipu Jayanti celebrations in the state, calling them “controversial and communal”.
In his letter, BJP legislator KG Bopaiah told Yediyurappa that cases filed against Hindutva activists for protesting against Tipu Jayanti should be withdrawn. “Innocent people were made a target and cases were filed against them,” he wrote. “They have faced a lot of hardship as a result. Hence, I appeal to you to take this up in the next meeting of the Cabinet and begin the process of withdrawing these cases.”
Tipu Jayanti celebrations, started by the state government in 2015 during former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s tenure, was celebrated every year on November 10. The BJP considers Tipu Sultan, an 18th-century ruler, a tyrant and “anti-Hindu”. Protests by the BJP against the celebrations had turned violent last year in Kodagu district.
The other MLA, Roopali Naik, wrote about the protests by the BJP in Uttara Kannada district in December 2017 after the death of a 19-year-old man who the party claimed was a Sangh Parivar activist. “In relation to this case, cases were booked against over 2,000 activists in various police stations in the district,” Naik told Yediyurappa. “Those facing these cases are facing immense distress...Hence, I appeal to you to take this up in the next Cabinet meeting and withdraw the cases.”
Uttara Kannada district was tense for a few days in December 2017 after Hindu and Muslim groups clashed in Honnavar town. The communal riots worsened after the body of a Hindu youth, Paresh Mesta, was recovered from a pond. The BJP alleged that Muslims had tortured and murdered him. His family denied that he was a Sangh Parivar activist.
The BJP had organised a “jail bharo” movement in the district in protest, and alleged that the then Congress government was responsible for the death. A protest by BJP activists had turned violent, with protestors pelting stones and setting a police officer’s vehicle on fire.
The police superintendents of Uttara Kannada and Kodagu districts said they had not received orders yet, the Hindustan Times reported. S Selvakumar, secretary to the chief minister, said: “I am aware that some letters have been written, but I am not aware if any orders have been passed.”
Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy, who was the home minister of Karnataka during his party’s rule until 2018, said: “Those who were involved in arson and violence should be punished. All governments must act in a non-partisan manner.”
“Look at the letter of the MLA. It says cases registered against Hindu youth be withdrawn,” state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao said, according to The Times of India. “Let them withdraw cases registered against innocents no matter which religion they follow, but the letter shows that they want to withdraw cases against a particular community.”
Justifying the MLA’s request, BJP spokesperson Malavika Avinash told The New Indian Express that Siddaramaiah had “raked up the matter of celebrating Tipu Jayanti”, which was earlier non-existent in the state. “It was because of his decisions and anti-majoritarian working style that there were protests,” Avinash said. “About 21 Hindu youths were killed between 2013 and 2018.”
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