BJP Worker’s Murder Being Used To Stir Anti-Muslim Hatred In Karnataka

The murder of BJP worker Praveen Nettaru on Tuesday is being used to incite anti-Muslim hatred by members of right-wing groups and elected representatives with impunity in Karnataka.

Following the murder of Nettaru, who was a Zilla BJP Yuva Morcha committee member, Hindutva hardliner and founder of Yuva Brigade, Chakravarti Sulibele in a rabble-rousing speech targeting the Muslim community said that “previously Muslims used to kill Hindus wearing explosive belts, but there is no need for it anymore. Today, they can hold a machete and kill a Hindu walking on the street. The government will put them in jail and give them access to a phone to call their family members.”

“We (Hindus) should be ashamed of ourselves,” he lashed out.

People who had gathered to listen to him speak in Bengaluru’s Town Hall on Thursday held placards saying, “Beware of Islam” and “Beware of Quran”, even as the police watched in silence.

Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death in front of his broiler shop in Bellare of Dakshina Kannada district, by three bike-borne people on Tuesday night.

The police have detained 21 suspects in the case, and the motives behind the murder are yet to be ascertained, but BJP leaders and Hardline Hindutva groups have held the entire religion of Islam and the Muslim community responsible for it.

BJP national general secretary CT Ravi on Friday said that madrasas should be banned, calling the Islamic seminaries “hotbeds of hatred and violence”.

“The radicalisation of Islamist fundamentalists largely happens in madrasas. These hotbeds of hatred and violence must either be banned or regulated like other institutions. This is very much required to save Hindus from the tyranny of jihadis who have nothing to lose in life,” Ravi said in a post on Twitter.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai even visited the family of Praveen and handed over a cheque of Rs 25 lakh from the state government relief fund.

He even went on to threaten that he would use the so-called Uttar Pradesh model to deal with the accused.

Several BJP leaders and state officials visited the family of Praveen, creating mass hysteria around his murder.

Muslim Youth Killed, Hardline Monk Cheers

On Thursday, 23-year-old Mohammed Fazil was murdered by a group of masked assailants outside a clothing store on the outskirts of Mangaluru.

Although the motive behind his attack also remains unascertained so far. Hardline Hindu leaders have cheered his brutal murder as an act of revenge for Praveen’s death.

Kalika Mutt seer Rishikumar Swami, who in the past has called for an economic boycott of Muslims and for making incendiary speeches against the community, commended Fazil’s murder as retribution.

“If our people (Hindus) have done this, I’ll congratulate them. But the count of 9 heads is still pending. There must be 10 heads against 1 head”, he said.

Fazil’s brutal murder was captured on CCTV cameras.

On Friday, thousands of people attended the funeral procession of Fazil. So far, thirteen people have been detained in the case.

In a span of just 8 days, the murder of Fazil is a third such case. Besides Fazil and Praveen, Masud B, an 18-year-old Muslim youth, was brutally assaulted by eight members of the Bajrang Dal in Karnataka’s Bellare over a trivial matter. He succumbed to his injuries in a Mangaluru hospital on Thursday, July 21.

Hate Speeches & Murders

In Karnataka, hate speeches targeting the Muslim community have resulted in communal unrest and murders.

Speaking to The Cognate, Dr Sylvia Kapargam, an activist of Bahutva Karnataka (civil rights group) said, “People are already struggling with hundreds of issues. But the elected government instead of trying to make people’s lives better is trying to, stir up communal hatred. They are putting people’s lives at risk. They are putting people’s livelihoods at risk. Post-COVID, so many people have lost their livelihoods and are struggling with a serious malnutrition crisis too. But instead of doing something about it, they are putting the lives of Muslims at risk. All these social and economic boycotts are actually warning signs. It’s really sad that it’s the government itself that is inciting hatred.”

Sylvia took note that besides the government, the media is also playing a role in inciting such unrest. “In media, there is a serious conflict of interest because most of them are owned by the same right-wing groups,” she said. 

“People are asking for this UP model, which is a model of anarchy. It’s a model of people being targeted, picked up, arrested, and their houses destroyed. To demand such a thing shows how much hatred has been fueled.”

She said there is a systematic effort put into creating hatred among people, and the murder of Praveen is one such example.

“A lot of false messages are being spread. This is the time to counter it. In fact, they actively spread all these messages. I think people should inform themselves about what is happening. Respected people within the state should also start speaking up very actively against this polarization,” she added.