Banjara Assn demands peace meet at Malpe harbour

NT Correspondent

Udupi (Karnataka): The Karnataka State Banjara Youth and Student Association urged the district administration to convene a peace meeting at Malpe fisheries harbour following communal tensions triggered by an incident where a Scheduled Caste (Banjara) woman was tied and slapped in public on March 18. Girish D R, State President of the association, told reporters on Monday that several migrant workers from the Banjara community, primarily from Kalyana Karnataka and Central Karnataka, are employed at Malpe fisheries harbour and are concerned about potential backlash.

He condemned the assault and criticised former Fisheries Minister Pramod Madhwaraj for allegedly delivering a provocative speech during a protest by the Malpe Fishermen's Association, defending the assault and encouraging similar actions. Girish also criticised former MLA K Raghupathi Bhat for objecting to the police invoking provisions of the The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, against the accused. He urged the district administration to instil confidence among the Scheduled Caste community members working in the harbour and prevent further communal discord.