Communal polarization is almost complete in Karnataka with sharper societal divides and an ever-rising tide of hatred towards minorities.
The BJP government has been eyeing the state for quite some time to implement its hardline agenda of saffronising the state.
Karnataka has long been considered a ‘Hindutva’ laboratory. The hijab ban, halal meat controversy, ban of Muslim traders from temple premises, and other communally sensitive issues have left the state volatile.
Now, the BJP government in power has been accused of giving ‘excessive attention’ to Hindu victims than Muslim perpetrators. Accusations have surfaced about not applying the law equally to Muslims and Hindus.
While the accused Muslims are investigated for terror links, Hindus pass off as ordinary criminals without much investigation into their ideology or organisational links. Muslim perpetrators were charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act while the charges against Hindu perpetrators accused of murders were diluted.
While the families of Hindu victims are provided financial relief, Muslim victims are overlooked. This is a blatant disregard for Article 14 of the Indian Constitution which guarantees equality.
The series of communal killings in Karnataka plainly validates this fact. Mohammed Masood (19) was killed in July 2022 by persons affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Kalanja village in Dakshina Kannada district.
In retaliation, Praveen Nettaru, a BJP youth wing worker, was hacked to death by three bike-borne assailants. In less than 48 hours, Mahammad Fazil, an oil refinery worker who had no political affiliations, was also killed.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and other BJP leaders visited Praveen Nettaru’s home on July 28 and handed over a compensation cheque of Rs 25 lakh to his family.
However, they did not visit the home of Masood who lived just six km away and was murdered a few days before Praveen on July 21. Masood and Fazil’s families have not received any compensation from the state to this day.
Although it was clear that the killings were communally motivated, those accused of murdering the Muslim men were charged with murder under the IPC while those accused of murdering Praveen were charged under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
This shows a clear bias in the approach of the state government toward Muslims and it has only escalated ever since the BJP government came to power in 2019.
“The Chief Minister did a disservice to his position by not visiting Masood’s parents when they were grieving,” said Abdul Harees, a close relative of Masood.
“Both Praveen and Masood’s lives matter, but it is hurtful to think that the state government does not recognise them as equal. It makes you question whether all government departments, including the police, will treat us equally anymore”, he said.
The families of Masood and Fazil were given a compensation of Rs 30 lakh each by the Muslim Central Committee, a collective of Muslim groups in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. But there was no financial relief from the state government.
During the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Mangaluru in December 2019, the police had opened fire against the protestors which led to the death of two Muslim men.
Nouseen Yane (23) and Abdul Jaleel (49), both from working-class Muslim families, died on the spot after they were shot in the head and chest by the police.
The then Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had announced compensation for the families of the two men but the decision was revoked as the two men were soon listed as ‘accused’ in rioting cases filed by the Mangaluru police.
A viral video from the day of the protests showed a Mangaluru police official, Shantaram Kunder, ordering his colleagues to fire lethal shots at protesters, saying ‘not one person has died’.
More than three years after the incident, Mohammed Jaffer, a relative of Abdul Jaleel said, “They (police) wanted to safeguard themselves. The police had put their names in the FIR so they could justify their killing saying they were criminals. It is plain injustice that the state government revoked the compensation meant for our family and instead criminalised Abdul”, reports TNM.
Noufal Yane, Nousheen’s brother, said that the state government had made assurances to his family following the death. “We even met BS Yediyurappa at the Circuit House in Mangaluru. But the assurances made to us in person were not honoured and soon, Nousheen was branded a stone-pelter,” Noufal said.
In February 2022, the state government handed over a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the family of Harsha Jingade, a Bajrang Dal leader and history sheeter from Shivamogga. He was killed by a local Muslim gang over a long-standing communal rivalry.
Harsha had a criminal record and had previously been on the police’s radar in incidents of assaulting Muslim men and rioting.
Sachin Raikar, a close friend of Harsha, said that his murder led to an outpouring of emotion among members of Hindutva groups and the BJP in Shivamogga.
“The family received Rs 25 lakh from the Karnataka government and there was unbelievable support from the Hindu community. Money was collected through Postcard News and contributions came from many BJP leaders including Pratap Simha, Shobha Karandlaje, and others,” said Sachin.
The 10 Muslim men accused in the case were all charged under UAPA.
The family of Rudresh, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker killed in Bengaluru in 2016 when the Congress was in power, said that they did not receive any financial relief from the state government following his death.
Rudresh was hacked to death by a group of people affiliated to the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI). “They had promised to give me a government job but that has not materialised in the last six years,” said Vidya, Rudresh’s wife.
Activists and lawyers in Karnataka have condemned the state government’s repeated discrimination towards the cases of sectarian violence.
By giving financial compensation only to Hindu families, Bommai has violated Article 14 and Article 15 (1) of the Constitution, said Maitreyi Krishnan, a Bengaluru-based human rights advocate.
Article 14 refers to equality before the law and Article 15 (1) forbids discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.
“When the state government gives compensation to selected families of communal violence, it is a violation of the law and the Chief Minister should be held accountable for it. The state has repeatedly discriminated against Muslim victims of communal killings,” Maitreyi said.
Based on a story in TNM