The All India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ), have issued a legal notice to Bengaluru Police for failing to initiate action against the Hindutva groups for inciting hatred against Muslims during a protest held on 28 July at the city’s Town Hall.
Massive protest by pro-Hindu organizations was held in front of Town Hall against the killing of BJP worker Praveen Nettaru.
Nettaru was hacked to death in front of his broiler shop in Bellare of Dakshina Kannada district, by three bike-borne people. Tensions prevailed at several places in the district on Wednesday following his murder.
Right-wing group Hindu Hitarakshana Samithi had gathered in large numbers at Town Hall and held a protest holding anti-Islam placards, which read, “Beware of Islam”, ” Beware of Quran”.
“We bring to your notice that these placards and protests are meant to undermine the equality of the Muslim community, deny them equal citizenship and discriminate against the community by instigating hatred against the Muslim community from the Hindu community. It must also be noted that such protest has been targeting an entire community and villainizing them in an attempt to stroke ill will against the Muslim community and create communal unrest,” AILAJ said in a letter to the police.
The lawyers noted that the organizers and protesters at the protest have committed several offences, including offences under violation of Sections 153(1)(a)&(b), 153B(1)(b), 259A and 505(2) IPC.
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Posters such as “Beware Islam”, and ” Beware Jihad”, unambiguously create hatred and ill will against the Muslim community, insult the religious feelings of an entire community and provoke attacks against the community,” it added.
Despite the offences being clearly made out, the lawyers association said that the police authorities failed to take any action against the offenders and no FIR has been registered.
“We are shocked to note that during the pendency of an investigation the protesters have vilified an entire community and openly instigated discrimination against the Muslim community. The incident erodes the very values of our democracy being one rooted in equality and secularism,” it said adding that they have also ignored the Tehseen Poonawalla directions of the Supreme Court and sought urgent action to be taken.
“Thus, in addition to preventive punitive and remedial action, the Supreme Court has directed central and state governments to take action to prevent mob violence and lynchings.”
Further, the rights organization has also sought an explanation regarding why the police authorities have failed to register an FIR.
“We seek further information from the Commissioner of Police Bengaluru as to why action was not initiated against the jurisdictional police for failing to register an FIR against the offenders. Instead, the police or authorities have turned a blind eye to the incident, striking at the root of the rule of law. We put you to notice to place on record information regarding the failure to initiate suo moto criminal action against HSS and the reasons for the non-registration of an FIR. We further seek information regarding any steps that were taken by police on 28 July to during the protests to disperse the crowd, enforce communal harmony guidelines 2018 and maintain communal harmony.”
As several cognizable offences were made out, they requested the Bengaluru police to take action with the utmost urgency to initiate criminal action against organizers and protesters and register and fire against them. “We call upon you to respond to the legal notice within one week, failing which we will be constrained to initiate appropriate legal action.”
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Rabia Shireen is a Staff Reporter at The Cognate.
