A coalition of organisations will stage protests on Thursday at multiple locations in the State against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai “condoning moral policing” by Hindutva organisations, which they termed “complete abdication of duty of the Chief Minister in upholding the constitutional values”.
Protests will be held in Bengaluru, Raichur, Koppal, and Vijayapura, among other places, a communique said. The joint statement observed that instances of violence in the name of religion and caste, perpetrated by right-wing extremist organisations, had increased over the last one year. “This is sending a chilling message to people in Karnataka that associating with a person from another caste or religion can invite injury and death and that merely practising their faith or belonging to one can be dangerous,” the statement said. “As these atrocities and violence increase in Karnataka, the Chief Minister has condoned such acts of violence and assault on our Constitution. Such a statement legitimises and encourages the perpetrators of violence and makes the victims into offenders,” the organisations said.
The organisations have been demanding that the Chief Minister immediately withdraw his statement made earlier in relation to moral policing incidents that they should be viewed from the prism of “action and reaction” and that they occur when there is “moral degradation” in society.
