Bengaluru: Popularly known as the land of sugarcane is also the hotbed of farmers’ and Dalit movements, the Vokkaliga caste-dominated Mandya district in southern Karnataka is beginning to see the impact of a consistent Hindutva push. The recent communal violence in this town of district Nagamangala during the immersion of Ganesh is symptomatic of this trend.
The violence broke out during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. A procession was on its way to immerse the idol of Ganesh and deviated from the scheduled path “by a bit”, said the police. The procession allegedly went close to the Ya Allah Masjid in Nagamangala, halted, blasted music, shouted slogans, and burst firecrackers. This led to a confrontation and violence, they added. The mob allegedly attacked over 20 business enterprises that night.
Earlier, on 28th January 2024, the district administration removed a saffron flag hoisted on a 108-ft-tall Hanuman flagpole in a village, leading to the Opposition BJP and the ruling Congress trading charges against each other.
“Ahead of the Ram temple inauguration in Ayodhya, BJP and JD(S) workers collected money and installed a 108-ft flagpole and hoisted a saffron flag with pictures of Hanuman in Keragodu village on January 19. However, a section of people filed a complaint with the taluk administration and local officials were given a direction to remove it,” a local source said.
As the district administration came to remove the flag, people from surrounding villages and right-wing activists protested raising slogans against Mandya Congress MLA and the officials.
Police resorted to mild lathicharge following a heated exchange of words between them and the protesters, and the flag was removed from the pole in the presence of Assistant Commissioner. Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka Assembly and former minister in BJP government R Ashok condemned the officials’ act.
“The Congress is against Ram and the Hanuman temple. They did this during the Ram temple inauguration also. I strongly oppose this. The Congress is provoking Hindus,” he said.
The saffron forces are not only seizing every opportunity to penetrate in the area but creating pretexts to cause divisiveness and promote hatred and flaring up the fire.
