Pramesh S Jain & Yogesh K Porwar
B
haratiya Janata Party (BJP) held a ‘Hanuman Chalisa Rally’ in Nagarathpet on March 19 afternoon over the alleged assault on a shopkeeper on March 17.
Bengaluru police had refused permission for the rally in light of the Model Code of Conduct, sources said.
All the three BJP candidates from Bengaluru—Tejasvi Surya (Bengaluru South), P. C. Mohan (Bengaluru Central) and Shobha Karandlaje (Bengaluru North) — led the protest.They and were detained by the police and shifted to CAR Ground.
Rajajinagar BJP MLA S.Suresh Kumar,who tried to stop the police from dispersing the protesters,was detained, leading to some tense moments.
Several shopkeepers in Nagarthpet downed shutters for the day. Protestors raised ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans and chanted Hanuman Chalisa.
BJP blames appeasement politics of Congress
BJP MPs blamed the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka for the incident terming it ‘anti-Hindu’ and said the ruling party’s ‘appeasement politics’ had brought on this situation.
“The appeasement politics of the Siddaramaiah government has become a security risk for Hindus. It started with pro-Pakistan slogans, followed by a terror attack and now this assault,” said Ms.Karandlaje.
Accused include both Muslims and Hindus
The alleged assault on Mukesh by a gang of six men over the shopkeeper playing devotional songs on a loudspeaker took a communal colour once BJP entered the fray.
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya visited the area on March 18 and alleged that a gang of Muslims had assaulted the shopkeeper for playing ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ during the azaan (call for prayer) from a nearby masjid.
However, the accused include both Muslims and Hindus, police sources informed.
In his complaint to Halasurgate Police on March 17, Mukesh did not mention that the row was over him playing Hanuman Chalisa during azaan.
But, on March 18,he told mediapersons that the incident was over him playing Hanuman Chalisa. He participated in the BJP protest on March 19, and has been detained by the police.
Five of six accused arrested
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B.Dayananda said that five of of the six accused have been arrested. Efforts are being made to nab the sixth accused as well, he said.The assault took place over devotional songs being played on a loudspeaker at the shop, which is near a religious place,” he said.
Health and Family Welfare Minister and local MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao accused the BJP of trying to spread hatred.“The boys who attacked the shopkeeper are both Hindus and Muslims..
Why will Hindus attack a Hindu shopkeeper over azaan?
What makes you jump to the conclusion that it was a fight over azaan versus bhajan? Whatever the fight was all about, the people who acted wrongly should be punished