Hate crimes flare up again in Karnataka, police arrest 28 Sangh Parivar activists

Three separate hate crime instances that occurred throughout Karnataka during the past few days have broken a brief calm in communal activities.

Six pick-up trucks bringing beef from the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh were delayed, one of them was set on fire, and its occupants were assaulted early on Sunday near Bangalore, while a saffron flag was raised over a mosque in the Bidar region a few days earlier. A mosque in coastal Karnataka was broken into by two males who yelled "Jai Shri Ram" while doing so.

28 Sangh Parivar activists were apprehended by police in the three events.

Around 5.30am on Sunday, Sangh Parivar group Sree Rama Sene activists led by Sundaresh Naragal stopped six pickup trucks carrying beef that were being transported from Hindupur in neighboring Andhra Pradesh. They stopped the cars about 50 kilometers away in Doddaballapur. Before the police came, they allegedly attacked the drivers and other passengers, paraded them while wearing the severed heads of cattle, and set fire to one of the pick-up trucks.

For several hours, the incident caused unrest in Doddaballapur town, which is located in the Bangalore rural police district. The simmering tension was calmed by a strong police presence.

Later, the police detained 21 members of Sree Ram Sene, one of the several Sangh Parivar groups, whose vigilantes frequently stop trucks carrying livestock or meat and assault interfaith couples.

The pick-up trucks were hauling roughly 18 tonnes of beef, according to Mallikarjun Baldandi, the rural superintendent of police for Bangalore.

In accordance with the anti-cow slaughter statute implemented by the previous BJP government, seven men, including the six drivers, were arrested for transporting calf flesh without a license. The Sene activists were charged with dacoity, assault with a dangerous weapon, burning, rioting, and unlawful assembly under several penal provisions.

All people detained were remanded to judicial custody by a local court for additional inquiries.

The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act 2020, passed by the BJP government, would be reviewed, according to chief minister Siddaramaiah, who made the announcement weeks after taking office. But no further action has been taken as of yet.

Two people were detained by the Dakshina Kannada district police after they allegedly broke into a mosque in Kadaba late on Sunday and shouted "Jai Shri Ram" before fleeing on a motorcycle.

The two young people, who are both around 25, were recognized by the police thanks to the mosque's surveillance cameras. According to the police, the two males reportedly yelled "Jai Shri Ram" repeatedly when they entered the Mardhala Badriya Juma Masjid at 11 p.m.

When they noticed the mosque's imam, they fled. On Monday, Keerthan and Sachin were detained.

For raising a saffron flag atop a mosque in Dhannur, Basavakalyan taluk of the north Karnataka state, the police in Bidar detained four men. When the four youngsters took the saffron flag from a nearby Hanuman temple and erected it atop the mosque, the incident was documented on September 20.

According to Channabasavanna L., the superintendent of police in Bidar, the accused admitted to the crime and claimed they intended to upset the calm in the community.

The officer stated, "Shortly after removing the saffron flag, we organized a peace meeting with members of both communities.