Saffron goondaism: Not victim, but DK ministers were left naked, say agitators

Mangaluru, Aug 26: The protest held by Dakshina Kannada district unit of Popular Front of India (PFI) here on Wednesday saw over 250 protestors blaming the Congress-led state government for the continuous attacks on Muslims in the district by saffron outfits in the name of cattle trafficking.

In the protest meeting organised in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office in the city, the agitators strongly condemned the brutal assault on a Muslim youth who was stripped and tied before he was thrashed by members of a saffron outfit in Attavar on Monday, and demanded an end to the atrocious behaviour of Sangh Parivar in the district.

The organisation also demanded strict legal action against the leaders of such atrocious saffron outfits who wished to ruin the harmony between communities by making inflammatory speeches and public statements.

Addressing the protestors, SDPI district president Haneef Khan Kodaje said that the saffron goondaism in Dakshina Kannada had made the police department and district adminstration bow their heads and cower in fear. Under the pretext of cattle transportation and immoral activities, youth have been murdered, brutally assaulted and hands chopped in the district. In yet another shameful incident which has made headlines across the country and outside, an innocent youth was beaten after he was stripped and tied. The district administration is responsible for the escalation of the situation to this extent, he said.

Speaking on the brutal attack on the Muslim youth in Attavar, he said, "Here who was stripped was not the youth but elected representatives of Coastal Karnataka such as Ramanath Rai, U T Khader and J R Lobo. It is them the Sangh Parivar has left naked by openly continuing their atrocities in the presence of the legislators," he told the protestors.

'DK regressing by the day'

PFI district president Mohammed Haneef said that the continuous attacks on minorities over the past few months by saffron outfits were not random incidents, but a single conspiracy to damage the peaceful and harmonious relations among different religious communities in the district. When there are numerous instances of brutal assaults on those transporting cattle, what does not come to light is the culprits robbing them of all their valuables. When the country is slowly progressing forward, Dakshina Kannada is becoming backward each day and the people are becoming 'Adivasis' (tribals) due to such heinous attacks by regressive minds. Those with communal mindset believe that people of this district can be oppressed and will continue to remain oppressed, but this will not be the case, he said.

He said that there was hope for 'Achhe Din' for the people of the state, but the same would spell doom for the Sangh Parivar.

Convenor of Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, Puttur Anand Mittabail said that the Congress leaders had given assurances of plucking out communal forces from the state within three months of coming to power, but after elections, the same leaders including Siddaramaiah and Ramanath Rai have proved useless in this regard.

He demanded that the district administration and police department should jointly put an end to the Goonda activities in Dakshina Kannada. If the police are ineffective in stopping the violent communal incidents, people across all religions will join and stamp out the communal forces, he said.

Fr William Martis also spoke on the occasion, stating that RSS and BJP cadres were present even in the police force in the state. This ensures no justice for the minorities who are subjected to atrocities, he said, adding that the situation should be rectified.

PFI State secretary Shafi Bellare, Udupi district president Aalam, Puttur unit president Shamsuddin, Belthangady unit president Haneef, Bantwal unit general secretary Saleem and several others were present on the occasion. Former Mayor K Ashraf also addressed the gathering.