Dalits rush to protect masjids

By Neha

Mangaluru: A day after it provided security to a masjid in Kalaburgi when Sri Ram Sene activists turned up to recite Hanuman Chalisa, a prominent Dalit organisation in the State has said it will not allow the minority community to be intimidated.

“The act of playing Hanuman Chalisa is nothing but provocation. The government must immediately ban Sri Ram Sene, for causing social disharmony and law order problems. We will not allow the minority communities in the region to be intimidated,” Dalit Sene State president, Hanumanth Yalasangi said.

Along with heavy police deployment, the mosques were guarded by the Dalits. Yalasangi said around 4,000 volunteers gathered across the district to protect the Masjids. According to reports, 20 Sri Rama Sene activists were detained across Kalaburagi for playing bhajans in response to the Azaan on Monday. “These boys who were arrested do not know how to chant the Chalisa by themselves. Their only motive is to disrupt law & order in the district” alleged Yalasangi.

He said Karnataka has been witnessing corruption and scams and schools in rural parts of Kalaburagi do not have proper infrastructure. “There are several serious issues that have not been attended to. Why does the right wing never question this but pits a communal fight?” he asked.

Yalasangi claims that right-wing representatives, such as Chakravarti Sulibele, Pramod Muthalik and the self-proclaimed godman Andolan Swamiji are nothing but anti-social elements. “The Dalit Sene of Kalaburgi shall fight as hard as we can to protect the harmony of Kalaburgi,” he said.

According to Pramod Muthalik, the loudspeakers at mosques should be banned as they are unauthorised and cause noise pollution.