Mangalore: Huge protest rally against the communal forces in the Twin Districts of DK and Udupi

By John Valerian Tauro, Bendur, Mangalore
Bellevision Media Network

Mangalore, 11 Febraury 2012: The Human Rights Federation of the twin districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada  organised a massive rally against the communal politics in the Karnataka State on Friday, February 10, 2012. The rally started from Ambedkar (Jyoti) Circle at 3 pm. The rally was inaugurated by Jason D’Costa, one of the victims of the attack on minorities at Suratkal  by beating the drum. The rally ended at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office  after covering 12 kilometers. Many minority organizations and general public participated in the rally in great numbers.

The rally was led by Justice MF Saldanha and many other leaders of various minority organizations. The rally was peaceful  largely peaceful as the marchers with various placards denouncing the communal attack on the minority communities and shouting slogans such as ‘down with Kalldka Prabhakar Bhat’ echoed throughout the rally. Besides there was also decrying of the three ministers who were found watching pornographic pictures on their mobiles during the Assembly session.

 

 

A protest meeting was held in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office and the memorandum to be submitted to the Governor of Karnataka and a copy to the Chairman, National Minorities Commission, New Delhi through the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada District was read out.

Abdul Razaq, state committee member of Popular Front of India said that people belonging to minority communities had been targeted in different ways since the BJP government came to power in Karnataka. Moreover, the BJP  has been indulging in land scams and mining scam. Recent scandal of  ministers viewing blue film in assembly has shamed the people of the state. He demanded that  the chief minister Sadananda Gowda should resign from his post and the BJP-led state government should be dissolved by the governor.

P Shivasunder, eminent columnist and Human Rights activist, in his scathing attack on the government and communal forces said that the government has become helpless against the communalization of the politics and society by the Hindutva forces. The government has breached the faith of the people who had given their mandate to the BJP party to form the government. He strongly condemned the atrocities committed on the minorities by the communal forces.

At the protest rally four books were released. These books are  on terrorism, anti-communal violence legislation, report on attacks on minorities in the state and why an anti-communal bill is necessary - books were also released on the occasion.

President of Catholic Sabha Walter Cyril Pinto, Muslim Central committee member Ali Hasan, Christian Mission Network’s Walter Maben, state president of PUCL P B D’Sa, state secretary of communal harmony forum K L Ashok, author and activist Suresh Bhat Bakrabail and state member of PFI Abdul Razzak Kemmar were present.

The organizations which participated in the protest rally included Catholic Sabha, Mangalore, Karnataka United Churches Forum for Human Rights, Karnataka Missions Network (Coastal Zone) Mangalore, Federation of Christian churches and organizations, Bharathiya Chraista Okkoota, Global Council of Indian Christians, Protestant Christian welfare association, Karnataka Komu Souhardha Vedike, DK, Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties, DK, PFI, Mangalore Central Committee, Muslim Varthakara Sangha, Tulunadu Mansa Samaja Seva Sangha, Youth Wing, Mangalore, DK Auto Drivers’ Association, Bandhavya, National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations, Campus Front of India, Samaja Parivarthana Vedike, Mangalore Citizen’s Association, Karnataka Chraista Sangha Samsthegala Antharastriya Okkoota, Ahinda Mangalore, All India Christian Council, Indian Christian Youth Movement took part in the protest.

The protest rally ended at 6 pm after submitting the memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner to be sent to the Governor of Karnatka and the Chairman of the Minority Commission, New Delhi.