Mangaluru: The Karnataka government Saturday announced plans to set up a dedicated anti-communal force to monitor and contain provocation of any kind that might breach peace in society.
G. Parameshwara, Karnataka’s Minister for Home Affairs, announced the initiative in Mangaluru Saturday.
“Looking at the situation in Mangaluru and Udupi, the government has decided to constitute an anti-communal force along the lines of the anti-Naxal force,” the Home Minister told reporters.
The force will be headed by an Inspector General (IG) level officer and will focus almost entirely on Dakshina Kannada and Udupi—two of Karnataka’s most communally sensitive districts.
The announcement came even as the coastal city of Mangaluru remained on high alert after two people were killed within a week.
On April 26, 35-year-old Kerala resident Ashraf was lynched after he got into an argument with locals during a cricket match. At least 21 people have been arrested so far in the case, and those in custody have claimed that Ashraf had raised slogans in favour of Pakistan. The police have refuted this claim.
In another instance, 33-year-old Suhas Shetty was brutally killed in public view Thursday night, fuelling tensions.
There have been at least three more reported retaliatory incidents in the district, threatening to intensify already simmering tensions.
Parameshwara said that the new force will scour all platforms, including speeches and social media, to identify content deemed provocative.
However, it was not clear if the government had deliberated on the new force or if it was a decision taken Saturday to calm tempers.
Parameshwara refused to answer questions from the media on the subject.
Parameshwara and Dinesh Gundu Rao, the district in-charge minister, held a meeting with members of minority groups Saturday in Mangaluru. Halfway through the meeting, a huge commotion broke out as several members demanded action against Hindu leaders making provocative remarks and singling out Muslims, according to people aware of the developments.
He also said that the force will look at incendiary speeches made in the past as well.
Several political leaders have been accused of fanning communal passions in the past, and the new force will be empowered to book them too, Parameshwara said.
The Home Minister said that this force will coordinate with the local police on various matters.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) termed the move an “anti-Hindu force” and accused the Siddaramaiah-led government of conjuring up the idea to pick on Hindus.
“This force has been announced keeping in mind the interests of just one community. The local Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) could have been called for the meeting, but they chose only members of minority groups,” Satish Kumpala, the Dakshina Kannada district president of the BJP, told reporters in Mangaluru Saturday.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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The Karnataka Home Minister must show some spine and empower the state police to target and hunt down Jihadi terrorists.
The coastal districts of Karnataka are a breeding ground of all shades and hues of Jihadis. Some are inspired by the Taliban while some others are inspired by the ISIS.
And all this happens under the watch of Karnataka Police. The police department knows what is happening but cannot act as the political masters have asked them not to. Why? So that they can gain Muslim votes in election after election.
The town of Bhatkal is infamous across the world as the nursery of Islamic Jihadi terrorism in India.