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Disappointed by police inaction, four social activists from Bengaluru alleged on April 9, 2022, that the Karnataka police are unable to carry out their duties due to political pressure. The criticism came during a press meeting regarding the delay in registering an FIR against hate-monger Hindu Janajagruti Samiti Coordinator Chandru Moger.
Since April 6, activists Khizer-e-Alam, Waseem Raja, Zia Nomani and another person have been trying to register an official FIR against Moger, who claimed the community monopolised the fruit vending business, and were allegedly spitting on products as a form of “spitting Jihad”. The man reportedly called for an economic boycott against Muslim fruit vendors.
However, the police have only responded with a Non-Cognisable Report on Friday. This, despite meeting the Commissioner of Police, the Assistant Commissioner of Police and DCP North; the department is yet to register the formal document.
“We believe this is due to tremendous political pressure under which the police department has been functioning over time. We call upon the department, concerned officers to ensure independence of its force which is extremely vital to maintain law and order and to ensure a safe environment for citizens,” said Raja.
The activists called the allegations by Moger “a brazen attempt to malign and defame the Muslim community with the sole purpose of creating hate and divide between the communities in the state of Karnataka.”
Observing that the state government had left the issue unaddressed, activists approached the Sanjay Nagar police station to lodge an FIR against the prima facie cognisable offences. However, Sanjay Nagar Inspector Balraj said that there was a confusion about certain details like where the event took place and when. “We are trying to proceed with this,” he told SabrangIndia. He further assured that the delay with the FIR should be resolved by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, the activists called upon citizens to recognise and seek an independent and transparent police force, free from any political interference. Referring to the Supreme Court and various High Courts, Nomani said “Unity in Diversity” is the ideal way of life considering that India is a unification of people from diverse cultures, religions and races. He also cited the apex court in Tehseen Poonawala Vs Union of India & others that laid down guidelines to check the spread of hate speeches, provocative statements and fake news. In it, the court directed state governments to designate a senior police officer to take preventive measures.
Recently, Karnataka has become a hotbed of hate speech against the Muslim community. Right-wing elements are calling for an economic boycott of businesses owned by Muslims after demanding a ban on hijabs inside classrooms. Zomani said all of this has created an atmosphere of communal divide, mistrust within the state that is quickly spreading to other parts of the country.
“This is a direct attack on the peace and harmony of our society, which requires necessary, quick and strict actions by the law enforcement authorities against the fringe elements, in order to maintain peace and harmony between the communities of our society,” he said.
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