A controversy broke out on Sunday, May 5, over allegations that ministers Dinesh Gundu Rao and G Parameshwara attended a meeting with senior police officers where Muslim leaders were present. Dinesh later denied that such a meeting was held.
G Parameshwara, Minister of Home Affairs and Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, who is in charge of the district, visited Mangaluru on Saturday, May 3, to take stock of the law and order situation in Dakshina Kannada, where two recent unrelated incidents triggered communal unrest.
Ashraf, a mentally ill migrant worker from Kerala was lynched by a mob, allegedly because of his Muslim identity on April 27. Activists have alleged that the police deliberately delayed the investigation to allow Ravindra Nayak, husband of a former BJP councillor, who instigated the mob, to flee.
Three days later, a rowdy called sheeter Suhas Shetty who is accused in murder cases was stabbed to death. His death sparked three instances of attacks on Muslims.
On Sunday, rumour began spreading that Muslim community leaders were present during a meeting the ministers held with Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal and Dakshina Kannada district Superintendent of Police N Yatish.
Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna issued a statement on Saturday night, alleging that the anti-communal taskforce announced by the state government would target Hindu activists. He claimed that Parameshwara was under pressure from Muslim leaders whom he had met during his Mangaluru visit.
By Sunday evening, Dinesh issued statements to the media saying that they had held a meeting with the two police officers and that no Muslim leaders were present. He even said that no separate meeting had been held with any Muslim leader.
Dinesh said that he and Parameshwara had met various delegations and leaders of organisations from the district in Circuit House in Mangaluru and had accepted their memoranda.
“There is no question of appeasing any one community. We have told the police to be impartial and take action against the culprits. It is not right to spread false information that the ministers are meeting only Muslim leaders,” Dinesh said in a statement.
Muslim Janapratinidhigala Okkoota submits memorandum
A delegation from the Muslim Janapratinidhigala Okkoota – Muslims who were elected to the local bodies in Dakshina Kannada on a Congress ticket – met Dinesh Gundu Rao at the Circuit House.
They submitted a memorandum seeking action from the Congress government on tackling communalism in the region, failing which they threatened to resign en masse.
Siraj Bajpe, the founder of the Okkoota, told TNM that he had spent the past six months contacting every Muslim member of the Congress in every rural and urban local body in the district to create the organisation.
The memorandum by the Okkoota demanded accountability from the Congress party, accusing it of doing little to ensure that Muslims could live in peace in the state, even though around 88% of the community had voted for the Congress and brought it to power in May 2023.
The Okkoota said it was forced to take the step because Muslims in the district were unable to lead lives of self-respect and peace due to the relentless communal speeches, insults to Muslims and derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed being made in the district.
Alleging that the recent mob lynching of Ashraf happened because of his Muslim identity, the memorandum said that the conduct of the police led to the suspicion that the killers were being protected.
It also criticised the Congress party. “When Ashraf was killed, why did our party leaders and ministers not have the courtesy to even console his family?”
In the wake of Ashraf’s lynching, Congress leaders in Karnataka issued cautious and vaguely worded statements, while leaders from Kerala were more unequivocal in their condemnation of the lynching.
The Okkoota then said that if the memorandum was met with empty promises as in the past, all of Dakshina Kannada’s Muslim elected representatives at the local bodies level would not only resign en masse, but would also boycott elections.
Local body elections are due to be announced in May.
Siraj, who is a three-time member of Bajpe Grama Panchayat told TNM, “In our villages people are very angry with us. They say, ‘You made us vote for the Congress, but what have they done?’ They ask us why we don’t bring these issues to our leaders and the party high command. We have to put our house in order and we want our party to take action.”
Siraj said leaders of Hindutva groups are not the only ones who make provocative statements. “Leaders of various organisations make provocative statements and are treated like heroes. Regular folks look at that and think that they too can become heroes by making similar remarks. Jail everyone who makes provocative statements. That will fix everything,” he said.
