Violence on minorities up by 90 pc in Karnataka: Saldanha

January 12, 2012

communalbill

Mumbai, January 12: Former judge in the Bombay and Karnataka high courts, Justice Michael Saldanha has described Karnataka with having the worst communal-persecution record and a state that encourages terror on micro-minorities.

Addressing a press meet organised jointly by All India Secular Forum and Catholic-Christian Secular Forum(CSF) the retired judge said that while across the country there has been a marked decrease in communal-related violence between 65 per cent to 75 per cent, “In Karnataka the violence targeting minorities jumped up by 90 per cent.”

He warned that the current scenario “is so alarming that even a minor flash point in near future may turn the state into a communal inferno... if steps to rein in parochial forces are not taken in time.”

The retired judge who grew up in Mangalore said, “This was never the case during my schooling and college days. All communities used to live harmoniously. But now something is wrong and the partisan-nature of the state machinery can be seen clearly.”

Justice Saldanha who had recently carried out an in-depth study of communal-related violence, said: “I found that Catholic community is the worst affected by this kind of violence. False cases are registered against people from this community. All this shows that apart from the saffronisation of the police force...what has been unleashed in this once-a-peaceful region is state-sponsored terror.” Citing examples of violence meted out to people belonging to Catholic community, he said no action was taken against parochial organisations espousing Hindutva ideology through hate-speeches instigating majority community to carry out violent attacks on micro-minorities.

Elaborating the former judge's point, CSF general secretary Joseph Dias said that in Karnataka, “it has been found that micro-communities are worst affected in Dakshin Karnataka, Mysore and Mangalore.”

Dias said that going by the press reports also, “2011 has been the worst year for Indian Christians. Sheer number of attacks clearly point to the fact that the persecution has become more widespread.

“Moreover, even though there has been no major problem like Kandhamal in Orissa, one just has to see the fear glinting in the eyes of minority communities residing in interiors.”

Dias also claimed that the attacks on Christians have increased so much that the number of such incidents have over taken attacks on Muslims.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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December 2,2025

DKSsiddu.jpg

Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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