A 40-year-old Christian prayer hall in Mangaluru was demolished reportedly by “unidentified miscreants” on Saturday. The Christian prayer hall was also used as an Anganawadi at Urudady Gudde in Panjimogaru, and its demolition has triggered outrage among the Christian community in the city.

According to a report in The New Indian Express, Roy Castelino, PRO, Mangalore Diocese, said the prayer hall was built on 585 sq ft land more than 40 years ago and was managed by the St Antony Building Committee formed by local people of the area. He showed mediapersons documents that stated that this property was in dispute between the Committee and Women and Child Welfare Department (WCD) and it was the latter who had sought its demolition.

However, on January 28, the Fourth Additional Civil Judge and JMFC Court, Mangaluru, had “restrained the defendants from demolishing any structure or building existing in the suit properties, without following due process of law, till the disposal of the interlocutory application. The next hearing of the case is on February 14,” stated the news report.

According to Castelino, some “unauthorised persons started chopping the trees in the prayer hall premises” and the church officials, fearing that those people may also demolish the prayer hall, lodged a complaint with the Kavoor police station. Castelino alleged that the police did not respond to it and on Saturday, “around 11 am when the majority of the people living in the prayer hall surroundings had gone out for work, some unidentified miscreants demolished the prayer hall using a backhoe. Some women recorded the demolition on their cellphones” he recalled. 

A 40 year old St Antony Holy Cross prayer hall at kuloor (Mangalore) has been completely demolished using JCB by miscreants. Another day another horror. pic.twitter.com/nP0vj5LvQM

— Undefeated_Faith (@Shaad_Bajpe) February 6, 2022

He has termed it “a clear case of contempt of court and added that they will file a police complaint over the incident”. According to TNIE the Deputy Commissioner of police KV Rajendra told the media that a report from the Deputy Director of Women and Child Welfare Department has been sought. He said, “I received a complaint in this regard after the structure was demolished. Preliminary reports suggest it had gone to PRED (Panchayat Raj Engineering Department) to construct an Anganwadi. But it is not clear who demolished it. I have asked to check whether there was no court stay against demolition and whether the Anganwadi could have been constructed sparing the prayer hall.”

According to a report in the Daijiworld portal, members of the Shri Satya Korddabbu Seva Samithi, allegedly violated the stay order from the court, entered the compound of the prayer centre, and demolished the building, compound wall, and trees. A complaint has been filed by St Anthony Holy Cross Building Committee president Antony Prakash Lobo, Cyprian D’Souza, Francis Pinto, and Valerian Lobo against Shri Satya Korddabbu Seva Samithi at Kavoor police station stated the news report.

“The court has given a stay, preventing illegal entry to our property and harming our building. The deputy commissioner has also issued a stay. But, the opposite party has illegally entered our property and demolished our compound wall and trees inside our compound. They have also prepared invitation cards to organise first-year Nemotsava inside our compound,” stated the complainants adding, “We have been living in this compound for the past 40 years and the city corporation authorities have given us a door number. We had also allowed to run Anganwadi for free. We have always been in favour of peace. But, the opposite party wants to disrupt peace and has done this.”

Daijiworld quoted Antony Prakash Lobo who said, “St Anthony Holy Cross Prayer Centre which is a part of the St Antony Church of Kulur has been functioning for the past 40 years. The city corporation has provided electricity and water. We had allowed the Anganwadi for children here without any charges. The civil dispute matter is in the court. The order copy has been submitted to the deputy commissioner and police commissioner. The local public is claiming that they want to build a ‘Daivastana’ here. Though there is a stay from the court, they have demolished the prayer center. We used to celebrate all festivals along with Anganwadi children.”

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In Mangalore, the case instantly reminded the marchers of Sowjanya Gowda, a student who was brutally raped and murdered on 9 October, 2012. Six years later, the family is still looking for justice. According to Daijiworld’s report, Gowda’s mother said at the protest, “Five years ago, my daughter was brutally raped and killed. Even today, I am fighting for justice and I will continue until I get justice. I do not have any affiliation to any party, religion, caste — for me, all are equal. I request you to support me and stand with me.”  

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested Santosh Rao, a contract labourer from Kumdapura. He was the sole person accused in the chargesheet. But, on 13 April, 2017, he was released by the CBI court. The three persons accused by Sowjanya’s father — Uday Jain, Malllik Jain, and Asrith Jain of Dharmasthala, the place where Sowjanya was murdered — were not probed by the CBI at all. Bangalore Mirror quoted Judge B S Rekha, saying, in an order passed on 10 February 2017, “Even in my opinion there are serious lapses on the part of the CBI in not conducting proper investigation.” The court further added, “The witnesses have categorically stated the names of the persons who committed the crime, but the CBI has not properly probed that particular aspect.”

At the protest site yesterday, Narendra Nayak, President of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations (FIRA), recalled Sowjanya’s fight for justice.  He was quoted saying, “First and foremost, a son should be taught to respect women and not treat them as objects. He should be taught to treat men and women equally. Five years ago, Sowjanya was raped and murdered in Dharmasthala, but still justice has not been done. The mindset towards women needs to change. We should never hesitate when it comes to raising our voice. When thousands of voices are raised, there will be a sense of fear among guilty politicians and perverts”.

Courtesy: Indian Cultural Forum
 

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The affable manner of forty-year-old Sharan Pampwell, the Mangalore-based leader of the Bajrang Dal in Karnataka, belies his exceptional business acumen. Like a good entrepreneur – obeying the laws of demand and supply – he has put to good use the anxiety felt by local businessmen as a direct result of the Bajrang Dal’s activities. He offers them protection by using the foot soldiers of the very same Hindutva outfit he represents.

“We strictly follow the rules of business,” Sharan tells me as I sit down with him to understand the economics of his politics. “Businessmen are prepared to work with us because we offer them security services at a very reasonable rate.” Politics may once have been the sole reason for the existence of the Bajrang Dal – an aggressive youth brigade of the VHP, in turn an offshoot of the RSS – but in Mangalore, where this organisation is very active today, it is a convincing profit motive that seems to drive its activities.
 

It works like this: first, the demand is created through the Bajrang Dal’s agitational activities, which range from vigilantism to hooliganism to vandalism.

This creates a sense of insecurity among owners of malls, shops and apartments. Then Eshwari Manpower Solutions Limited, a company owned by Sharan, offers security guards to the terrified businessmen so their fears are assuaged. The manpower for both these activities is drawn from the same pool. “All the supervisors and the majority of the security guards who work for the company are Bajrang Dal karyakartas,” says Sharan. “As the leader of the Bajrang Dal in this city, it is my duty to secure a livelihood for the karyakartas. But I don’t turn away anyone who comes to me for a job. There is enough demand for security guards in the city. Some of our guards are even Muslims.”

Sharan Pampwell has had a meteoric rise in the Bajrang Dal since joining the organisation in 2005. In 2011 he became the convener of the Mangalore division, and in 2014 was given the same designation in the south Karnataka region. In the Bajrang Dal’s organisational structure, the state of Karnataka is divided into two units, north and south, each with its own convener. While in northern Karnataka the Bajrang Dal is weak, in the south it is hyperactive, perhaps far more than in any other part of the country.

With Eshwari Manpower Solutions Limited requiring constant business opportunities, the Bajrang Dal considers its agitational activities crucial to its economic gains under Sharan’s leadership. “I started this business soon after I was made the convener of the Mangalore division. Now I have the security contracts of three malls – City Centre, Forum Fiza and Big Bazar – apart from several shops and apartments in the city,” he said. City Centre at KS Rao Road and Forum Fiza at Pandeshwar are among the largest malls in Mangalore. Big Bazar, located in the Lal Bagh area of the city, is another important shopping complex.

Interestingly, most of the shops in City Centre and Forum Fiza belong to Muslims, the community that is the main target of the Bajrang Dal’s attacks in Mangalore, as in other parts of the country. In Mangalore, however, the anti-Muslim basis of the Bajrang Dal’s politics gives way to communal harmony the moment the Hindutva outfit doubles up as a business firm with minorities as clients.
 

Sharan tacitly admits this as he demonstrates his entrepreneurial shrewdness.

“We are getting a lot of business from Muslim shopkeepers and mall owners. That is primarily because they have faith in us and in our company.” He maintains silence about the secret of his success among minorities – the fear factor that compels Muslim businessmen to opt for Eshwari Manpower’s security services. “Given the kind of activities they [Bajrang Dal members] indulge in, this is the best way to do your business peacefully,” says a Muslim shop owner in City Centre. “In a city like Mangalore, if you don’t outsource your security to them, you become extremely vulnerable. In the end, it is not a bad deal either. You do not just get security guards from them but also an assurance that you will be spared from any Hindutva activity. After all, one attack is enough to bring down your business.”

The transformation of the Bajrang Dal into a protection racket is not necessarily the natural progression of street-level Hindutva politics. It has been possible in Mangalore because of the widespread perception among businessmen and ordinary citizens that appealing to the police for protection is futile. When the state is unable to rein in troublemakers and the government’s law and order machinery appears overwhelmed by them, perhaps the only option is to cooperate with the perpetrators of criminal culture.
 

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The Bajrang Dal’s approach to politics in Mangalore – small scale, local and business-oriented – makes obvious sense for any organisation which has as its main stock of activists unemployed youth from economically weaker sections of society. It is equally obvious why employment via the Bajrang Dal protection racket appeals to those who have struggled – and failed – to secure a livelihood in a highly competitive market.

However, when the Bajrang Dal was set up in 1984 by the VHP as its “militant youth wing”, its original objective was to increase Hindu mobilisation for the Ayodhya movement, which the VHP had adopted as its central campaign barely a few months earlier. The epithet “bajrang” (meaning strong and sturdy), which is associated with the name of Hanuman, the monkey god who led Rama’s armies into battle, was chosen to emphasise the muscle power of the members of this organisation.

Excerpted with permission from Shadow Armies: Fringe Organizations and Foot Soldiers of Hindutva, Dhirendra K Jha.

This article was first published on Scroll.in

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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vjayan unleashed a scorching attack on Sangh Parivar in Mangalore on Saturday at an event to promote communal harmony. The event was held amid threats from the BJP-RSS-VHP that it will stop him from attending the programme. In his speech, he ripped apart the Sangh pointing at its history of licking the British feet and of worshipping the Nazis. The speech has garnered much praise for the CM from outside the state and even from Congress supporters in the state.

“I have this to say to the RSS and to [the other communal forces] who challenged me. I, Pinarayi Vijayan, did not drop down from the heavens one fine day into the chair of the Chief Minister. I am not a person who doesn’t know you – the RSS – directly. My political activism until now has proceeded by seeing and knowing you closely. Right now I travel in the midst of the protection of the weapons of the police. But there was also a time after I completed my studies at Brennen College, Thalassery and started working outside. If the new RSS men do not know about those times, they should ask the old RSS men. Then, I had walked amidst the knives you had drawn out and amidst the swords you held up. When you couldn’t do anything to me during those times, what do you think you are going to do to me today?,” he asked, amid loud cheers from the crowd which had gathered in large numbers.

Mr.Vijayan had a few weeks back cancelled a visit to Madhya Pradesh, following threats from Sangh organisations to stop him. Referring to that episode, he said – “You [the RSS] have been gloating about having managed to stop my journey to Madhya Pradesh. As a serving Chief Minister, when I go to another state, it is basic courtesy that I accept some things that the government of that State tells me. That government said that I should not go there, and I accepted it. But if Pinarayi Vijayan was not a Chief Minister, not even Indra (the king of gods in the Hindu pantheon) or Chandra (moon) would have stopped him.”

The Full Text of CM, Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan's speech may be read here.

Viajayan, who started his speech thanking Karnataka government for taking all the precaution for his safety amid threats from various right-wing organisations, alleged that several media houses are functioning to promote the interests of big corporates.

The CM also launched into a long tirade against the RSS, based on their history of taking inspiration from the Nazis.

“RSS was inspired by Mussolini’s fascist movement. The founder member of RSS himself went to meet Mussolini. When Hitler destroyed the minorities of Germany, RSS was one of the organisations which praised the actions of Nazis. Golwalkar praised the anti-semitic policies of the Nazi party. RSS wants to implement Nazi policies in India. Muslims, Dalits and Communists are their prime targets. Every riot organised by RSS has a similar pattern – spew venom and divide the society. The RSS mouthpiece had on 17 June, 1947 published an article demanding that the Bhagwa Dhwaj be adopted as the National flag,”  he said.

He said that the RSS has always been against the idea of secular India.

“Sree Narayana Guru played a huge role in creating a secular mindset in Kerala and Karnataka society. RSS wants to destroy it,” he said.

He praised the Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for providing adequate security and ensuring the smooth conduct of the programme. Though RSS leaders in Kerala claimed that they will not let Kerala chief minister to address the meeting and Sangh parivar organisations even called for a hartal, thousands of people attended the rally and procession preceded it.

(This story is from a Facebook post in which the author identifies herself/himself as 'Beef Janata Party').

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