Image Courtesy: thewire.in
2022 saw 174 incidents of communal violence in Dakshin Kannada and Udipi districts of Karnataka alone. These include 86 incidents of hate speeches being made (up from 29 incidents last in 2021 and 47 reported incidents in 2020. The incidents of moral policing recorded were at 41 and violent incidents of cattle vigilantism at 15.
An annual compilation, “A Chronicle of Communal Incidents in Coastal Districts of Karnataka” by senior activist Suresh B. Bhat, this work relies on incidents reported in the local media.
Bhat, is a member of Karnataka Communal Harmony Forum and People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL),
A sharp rise in the number of instances of hate speech can be observed from the figures quoted above. As detailed in the report, members of the right winged Hindutva outfits, such as Bajrang Dal, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. A lot of these instances of hate speech were reported as a part of saffron protests, a consequence of the Hijab ban on Muslim women in the Government PU College for Girls in Udupi.
A compilation titled “A Chronicle of Communal Incidents in Coastal Districts of Karnataka” is prepared every year for the state of Karnataka, which presents annual figures of the communal incidents reported in the local press. The said report is prepared by activist Suresh B. Bhat. According to this report, a total of 174 communal incidents were recorded in the Dakshin Kannada and Udupi district of Karnataka in the year 2022.
Bhat, who is a member of Karnataka Communal Harmony Forum and People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Mangaluru has divided these 174 incidents into further categories. According to the data provided and tabulated, a total of 86 instances of hate speeches were reported in 2022, in comparison to the 29 instances reported in the year 2021, and the 47 instances reported in 2020. A sharp rise in the number of instances of hate speech can be observed from the figures quoted above. As detailed in the report, members of the right winged Hindutva outfits, such as Bajrang Dal, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. A lot of these instances of hate speech were reported as a part of saffron protests, a consequence of the Hijab ban on Muslim women in the Government PU College for Girls in Udupi.
A total of 41 instances of moral policing were observed in these two districts of Karnataka in the year 2022, out of which 37 were by Hindu vigilantes while 4 were by Muslim vigilantes. There was an increase in the number of instances of moral policing too, as in the year 2021, a total of 37 instances were reported, while in the year 2020, only 9 instances were reported. In such instances of moral policing, couples who belonged to different faiths were either assaulted or handed over to the police, even if both the parties had been together willfully, by the vigilantes group. These couples may just be having fruit juice, or travelling together, but since they belonged to different faiths, they were subjected to violence and abuse.
The report also finds 15 cases of cattle vigilantism in 2022 as opposed to 11 in 2021 and 25 in 2020. As detailed in the report, most of these incidents of cattle vigilantism were led by the activists of Hindu JagaranaVedike and Bajrang Dal. The people who were suspected of illegally transporting the cattle, usually belonging to the Muslim community, were often charged against or even assaulted and lynched by the Hindutva goons.
The report also looks into instances of allegations of religious conversions and other communal incidents, such as attacks and desecration of places of worship.
The report may be viewed here:
A comparative table may be viewed here:
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