Since the Hijab row started in January this year, Karnataka has been witnessing instances of blatant Islamophobia non-stop. The state is now being called ‘the Uttar Pradesh of south India’ after rising cases of anti-Muslim Hindutva aggression are being reported on an almost every-day basis from different districts of the state.
Karnataka is also home to the second highest population of Muslims in Southern India after Kerala, with almost 13 per cent of its population comprising Muslims. Earlier, instances of Islamophobia would primarily be concentrated in South coastal Karnataka, where several right-wing vigilante groups operate, more often than not unlawfully.
While South coastal Karnataka is considered to be a stronghold of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and other right-wing groups (communal violence has been rife in the area from the 1970s and 80s), communalism has now evidently become an everyday affair across the state. The latest issue pertaining to Halal meat has also led to violence.
Bajrang Dal members thrashed a worker at a meat shop owned by a Muslim man, after the former demanded that they be sold non-halal meat.
From the Hijab ban to the various other direct and indirect attacks on minority communities, the last few months show that there is now an aggressive and hateful mob hell-bent on making daily life difficult for Muslims in Karnataka. More importantly, this has started after a major political change took place, after former chief minister and Lingayat leader Yediyurappa was asked to step down as chief minister.
He was replaced by current Karnataka chief minister BS Bommai.
A Karnataka-based observer, who did not want to be named, said that politics plays a major hand in what is happening. “The larger agenda is political gain after the recent change in chief ministers. For that, a fear of ‘minorities taking over’ is being propagated to consolidate the Hindu vote bank. But this communal divide has now crept past being an election tactic, and is now a seemingly permanent state of affairs,” he told this newspaper.
To give a better understanding of the situation, Siasat.com compiled a list of hate crimes that have been reported since February, when the hijab row began in Karnataka. Here is a map marking where the incidents have taken place (scroll down to read about all of the reported hate crimes):
8 February: Muskaan Khan, an 18-year-old student, went to Karnataka Mandya pre-University college to submit an assignment. She wasn’t allowed to enter because she was wearing a burqa. A mob of goons dressed in saffron started harassing her and chanting Jai Shree Ram.
10 February: Several Muslim students of Udupi’s Government Pre-University College for Girls received threat calls. They had their phone numbers, addresses and parents’ contacts allegedly leaked by the college. The girls were the face of the protests against the college’s rule of hijab not being allowed in educational institutes.
15 February: A video emerged of a hijabi student being chased by a reporter. It quickly went viral, and sparked outrage online.
19 February: At least 58 female students from the Government Pre-University College of Shiralakoppa in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district were suspended on Saturday for wearing the hijab and staging an agitation. Similar situations took plac ein Belagavi, Yadgir, Bellary, Chitradurgam and Shimoga also saw hijab-clad students not being allowed into classrooms.
22 February: A reporter barged into a hijabi student’s house under the guise of a sting operation. Aliya Assadi, the student, filed an FIR under IPC section 448 against a reporter of Asianet Suvarna News. Several other Muslim women were followed, and harassed by members of select media houses since the start of the high court proceedings vis-à-vis the hijab row.
3 March: An 18-year-old hijab-wearing Muslim student alleged a conspiracy against her. She was booked by Karnataka police alongside six other Muslim students over allegations of harassment of ABVP members. The incident happened at Dayanand Pai-Satish Pai Government First Grade College in North Mangaluru. In a tweet, she questioned the authenticity of the FIR.
5 March: A muslim collective trying to protect a dargah, which also happens to be a state-protected monument, was assaulted by police officers. Members of BJP/RSS wanted to “purify” a Shivalinga at the Hazrat Ladle Mashaikh Ansari Shareef dargah in Aland Taluk of Gulbarga district. Acting on an “Aland chalo” call by Siddalinga Swami of the Karuneshwar Mutt, goons aimed to usurp power from the community and claim it was the home of a Shivalinga.
8 March: Hindutva goons entered a government college in Mugtahalli, Chickmanglur without permission and forced Hijab-clad students to leave college if they wouldn’t remove their headscarves.
22 March: Characters in a Yakshagana play during the Karkala Utsav in Karnataka’s Udupi passed derogatory comments on Muslim women who wear hijabs. The characters said that Muslim women “cannot be considered humans” as they wear a “black cloak”, referring to the hijab.
Karnataka chief minister BS Bommai said that the applicability of the rules has to be examined.
23 March: Karnataka Law Minister JC Madhuswamy referred to The Hindu Religious Institutions And Charitable Endowments Act and Rules (2002), saying, “As per the rule number 12 of Act, leasing out space near a Hindu religious institution to a person of another faith is prohibited. If the instances of Muslims being banned from doing business have taken place outside the temples’ premises, we can examine. However, within the premises, the rules don’t permit people from other communities to set up shop.”
23 March: Kuthma Sheikh, a 25-year-old student from Mudhol, was remanded in judicial custody after she shared a WhatsApp status wishing people on Pakistan’s Republic day. She captioned the picture in Urdu, “Allah Har Mulk me Ittihaad…Aman…Sukoon…Ata Farma Maula” (may Allah grant unity, peace and harmony in every country).
24 March:
Banners announcing that Muslims cannot pitch their stalls at the annual fair of Bappanaadu Durgaparameshwari Temple near Mangaluru district in Karnataka appeared around the temple.
However, the temple authority denied authorizing any such banner and said that they were put up without being brought to their notice. The local police said that they are aware of such banners and will take action after taking legal opinion.
The same banner has been reportedly seen at other temples including Mangaladevi Temple, Polali Rajarajeshwari Temple and Mahalingeshwara Temple in Puttur.
24 March:
A man created a fake Muslim account to post hate speech online. Siddharoodha Srikant Nirale, a resident of Bagalkot, had created a fake profile on Facebook in the name of Mushtaq Ali after downloading pictures of a random person. Using Facebook, he spread hatred. After the murder of a Bajrang Dal activist Harsha in Shivamogga, he had posted many communal comments. Bagalkot Police arrested him for threatening Karnataka BJP MLC D.S. Arun.
25 March:
Hindutva goons in Kodagu district forced Muslim vendors to shut down fruit and juice stalls set up in the premises of the venue where a state-level agricultural programme was scheduled to take place. Manehalli village in Shaniwarpet, Kodagu district saw saffron-clad Bajrang Dal goons forced Muslim traders to empty the premises of the venue of an agricultural program.
27 March:
A cycle rally organised by BJP MP Tejaswi Surya stopped in between their journey- right outside the Masjid E-Hussaini Makan and Shahbaz Shah Khalander Dargah at Kolar. They proceeded to dance to loud music that said “Shivaji Maharaj ki jai” while waving saffron flags.
28 March:
A member of right-wing organisation Hindu Jana Jagruti (HJJ) called for a nationwide boycott of halal products. Mohan Gowda of the HJJ all Hindus to boycott all halal products, and use only ‘Jhatka’ meat. “We will protect the country by boycotting the economy of the anti-nationals.”
30 March:
Seven teachers at the CS Patil girls high school in Gadag, were suspended for allowing Hijab-clad girls to appear for an exam. The teachers were invigilators.
Another invigilator, Noor Fatima, was suspended earlier after she refused to take off her hijab while conducting the SSLC (Class 10) exams at KSTV High School.
March 30:
Bajrang Dal members patrolled streets in Nelamangala Ugadi fair in Bengaluru asking Hindus vendors not to buy meat from Muslim shopkeepers. There were also posters printed asking for the same.
March 30:
A chicken shop owner was reportedly assaulted by right-wing goons in Bhadravathi city of Shivamogga District. The attackers, who were regular customers of the shop, demanded non-halal meat. When the shop owner, Syed Ansar refused to sell non-halal meat, the goons started assaulting him and his cousin Tausif.
The police registered an FIR and assured him of security to reopen his shop. Later, five Bajrang dal members were arrested in connection with the crime.
March 31:
Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said those who do not respect the Constitution and honour the court verdict should be taught a lesson. Jnanendra said the ‘Boycott halal food’ campaign is not a law and order situation but something related to faith and sentiments, “which everyone knows.”
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