Tension grips Uppinangady; Stones pelted at mosques, 7 injured

Swayamsevak sangh leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, who threatened to attack and shoot down the Muslim youths.

Mr Bhat was addressing hundreds of people who took part in Hindu Samajotsava at Chatrapati Shivaji Maidan. When the police allowed Mr Bhat to continue his speech, dozens of Muslim youth gathered at a junction near Uppinangady bus stand urged the police to stop the -fanatic terrorists-.

At this situation a verbal clash broke out between police and youths and the former resorted to mild baton charge. However, timely intervention of few Muslim leaders, who managed to send back the youths to their homes, brought the situation under control.

However, the situation turned worse, when the youths returning from Samajotsava began to shout provocative slogans near bus stand. The police, once again had to resort to baton charge to disperse the mob.

A few minutes later the youths from majority and minority communities confronted near Central Juma Masjid. However, police managed to disperse the mob.

Meanwhile, miscreants pelted stones at Juma Masjid situated behind the Government Hospital. The miscreants also threw stones at police, who rushed to the spot to disperse the mob. Subrahmanya police sub inspector Sunil Patil and two other constables got injured in the incident.

There were reports of damages from various places in and around the town. Stone were pelted at a cloth shop, a mobile centre and a fancy shop in Uppinangady.

A group of provoked youths, on their way back from Samajotsava, threw stones at Masjid building at Konthur near Kadaba. Another group was stopped by police while trying to attack an elderly Muslim man near Periyadka.

Provocation

Mr Bhat, who was apparently trying to provoke the gathering throughout his speech, lashed out at Muslims and Christians, portraying them as traitors and enemies of Hindus.

-All the Muslims here are devils. Under the pretext of peace and friendship they wage love jehad and convert Hindu girls into Islam and sell them to foreign countries-, he said. -We should not hesitate to teach them an unforgettable lesson to these devils-, he added.

He went on to claim that Muslim youths who convert Hindu girls through love jehad would receive cash rewards. -Those Muslim youths who convert a Kashmiri girl will receive Rs 9 lakh. The reward for converting a Panjabi girl is Rs 7 lakh. Those who convert other Hindu girls will be paid Rs 5 lakh-, he said adding some vulgar jokes.

Mr Bhat also urged the Hindu youths to attack and torture their Muslim counterparts if the latter were seen talking with Hindu girls.

-If we hand them over to police, the latter will allow them to go home after receiving Rs 15,000 from them. Hence, we have decided to teach an unforgettable lesson to them without handing over to the police. We know how to punish them-, he said.

-We will shoot down such Muslim youths-, he shouted.

Mr Bhat also warned the Hindu parents against sending their children to the educational institutions run by Christians. -Christians have built schools and hospitals here only with the intention of conversion and not for any noble cause-, he said.

-Why do you send your children to such Christian schools instead of Hindu schools? Why should Hindu children call the Christian priests as Fathers?-, he questioned.

Mr Bhat's speech was made listen to the most part of the town by fixing loud speakers in various places, in an apparent violation of a recent harmony-meet resolution to confine loud speakers only to the convention venue.

--Source: sahilonline.org