Karnataka became the ‘Handout’ of communal violence, more than 160 cases reported since 2019, highest in Congress rule

Since the coming to power of the BJP government in the year 2019 Karnataka More than 160 cases of communal violence have been registered in the state. According to government data, out of 163 communal violence cases, most of the cases have come from Shivamogga. The cases of communal violence went on increasing in the state after 2019. According to the data presented in the Legislative Council by Home Minister Araga Gyanendra, so far 96 such cases have been registered in 2022. The Home Minister presented these figures in the Legislative Council during the monsoon session in September 2022.

The trend of communal violence cases in Karnataka is like this. In the year 2019, 16 cases of violence were reported. While 19 cases were reported in 2020, 32 in 2021 and 96 in 2022. In the 2018 elections, a hung assembly was formed in Karnataka. The result was that an unexpected coalition government was formed between the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular). However, after about a year, this alliance broke down due to the migration of several MLAs to the BJP. After which senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa once again became the Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2019.

On 28 July 2021, Basavaraj Bommai, who was the Home Minister in the Yeddyurappa cabinet, became the new Chief Minister of the state. According to the data, the top 5 districts with cases of communal violence are- Shivamogga, Bagalkot, Davangere, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada. The data shows that there has been an increase in the cases of communal violence in the state since Bommai became the Chief Minister. In 2022, out of 96 cases, 42 cases were registered in Shivamogga. After this, cases of communal violence were also registered in Bagalkot and Davangere (16), Dakshina Kannada (7) and Kodagu (5).

Violence erupts after several murders

Since 2019, 57 cases were registered in Shivamogga, 22 in Bagalkot, 18 in Davangere, while 10 cases were registered in Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada. There were communal riots and incidents in Shivamogga and Dakshina Kannada in early 2022. Riots broke out in Shivamogga in February this year after the killing of Bajrang Dal worker Harsh. Stones were pelted during his funeral procession, sparking riots in the area. Vehicles were burnt. Dozens were injured and commercial establishments were pelted with stones. Because of this, the police had to fire in the air.

A few months later, a series of murders in the communally sensitive Dakshina Kannada district shook everyone. On 26 July, 32-year-old BJP Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettar was killed by bike-borne miscreants in Bellare village of Dakshina Kannada district. After this murder, resentment spread among the BJP cadre and the area witnessed massive protests. Under pressure, the BJP government handed over the murder investigation to the National Investigating Agency (NIA). A week before Nettar’s murder, an 18-year-old Muslim youth named B Masood was murdered over a very small matter.

There was also a ruckus over the ‘hijab controversy’

On July 28, 23-year-old Mohammad Fazil was murdered in Surathkal, Mangaluru. TV9 had earlier reported that one after another murder in Dakshina Kannada has created a sense of shock and fear in the district. The state also saw widespread protests over the hijab controversy. Hindu students were seen wearing saffron shawls in classes in protest against the hijab. Following the Karnataka High Court ruling that wearing a hijab “is not a part of the essential religious practices of Islam”, the petitioners approached the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court completed the hearing on 22 September 2022 and has reserved the decision.

Interestingly, the cases of communal violence between 2013 and 2017 were comparatively high during the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Between 2013 and 2017, 666 cases of communal violence were reported in the state.