On Tuesday, March 14, clashes broke out at a rally of Hindu organizations, and stone-pelting also transpired in the Karnataka district of Haveri. Muslims in the area have complained that their mosques and homes had been attacked. The police promptly intervened to control the situation. More than 20 people associated with the Hindu organization were arrested. It is notable that Haveri is the home district of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Biased reporting by the leftist media
As is customary for the leftist media, they reported on this incident in a biased fashion, portraying Hindus as attackers. In its report, the Left-wing propaganda website The Wire featured an image of saffron flags and referred to the accused Hindu side as “Badmash” (rogues).
Mohammad Tanveer, who claims to be a journalist, labeled the perpetrators of the violence a ‘Hindu mob’.
OpIndia contacted the accused party in this case. They stated that the conflict on March 14 was brought about by protracted harassment and unilateral action. Karnataka-based Hindu organizations also referred to media coverage of the news as one-sided reporting. We are not revealing the names for security reasons.
Hindu organizations denied entry into Muslim-dominated areas
OpIndia talked to a few attendees of the March 14 procession who were affiliated with Hindu organizations. One of the attendees claimed that the main objective of the Muslims behind the conflict was to prevent the procession of the Hindu organizations from entering their area of influence. We were told that the place where the violence occurred is under the jurisdiction of the Rattihalli police station. There, it is estimated that 40% of the population is Muslim. In Rattihalli there is a place called Tipunagar which is named after Islamist tyrant Tipu Sultan.
‘Earlier they halted religious yatras, now they oppose Hindu freedom fighters too’
Speaking to OpIndia, a participant in the procession said they were not taking out any religious procession. The procession taken out on the 14th of March 2023 was of Sangolli Rayanna, the notable revolutionary of Karnataka, who fought the war of independence against the British.
According to a participant in the procession, there was a plan to erect a statue of revolutionary Rayanna on March 9 at an intersection inside Rattihalli. However, the statue could not be installed since the Muslim group obstructed the procession from reaching Kotioni on that day.
‘Rayanna a Hindu revolutionary, Muslims hail Tipu Sultan only‘
A person who took part in the rally said, “Muslims told us that this revolutionary Rayanna is a Hindu, therefore we will protest.” We were also told that the Muslim side was screaming “Tipu-Tipu” in front of Rayanna’s statue. On March 9, 2023, the Muslim side allegedly carried stones and iron rods to block the Hindu side as they marched through the Koti Oni region. However, the police intervened and the standoff did not escalate. It has been alleged that women were also standing behind those who stopped the procession.
We also received a video via which we learned that Muslim residents of the area where the procession for revolutionary Rayanna was prevented, celebrate their religious events on the streets with much fanfare and without any hindrances. A crowd can be seen along the entire road in the footage, and various announcements are being made by setting up multiple big music systems. Provocative comments were also made in this video, in which the crowd is seen screaming and supporting it. It is said that the video was shot during an event in December of last year.
Police did not take action in a prior incident
According to a person who was part of the procession bearing the statue of the freedom fighter Rayanna, on March 9 when about 100 people from the Muslim side obstructed their path, a police complaint was filed. Yet, the police have been accused of not acting in this case. It is said that the police did not take the complaint seriously. We have the video of the incident from March 9. In this footage, a frenzied mob can be seen smashing the police barricade. In another video from March 9 itself, a large crowd is seen raising slogans before the police.
Although two Muslim youths named Qasim and Mammu halted the installation of revolutionary Rayanna’s idol on March 9 and no action was taken by the police, Hindu organizations once more brought the same statue of Rayanna five days later on March 14, 2023. It is said that the police granted permission for this rally on March 9. A participant in the march alleges that although there was a large police presence during the March 14 procession, Muslims were shouting “Aao-Aao” and inciting from a distance with their hand gestures.
OpIndia was informed that the incident infuriated the procession’s participants and violence ensued. However, the police force deployed on the site soon brought the situation under control. Local people said that the name of the persons leading the Muslim side is Qasim Qazi and Mammu Qazi, who seem to be brothers. Qasim is a welder by profession.
31 members of Hindu organisations arrested so far
Local Haveri district residents and members of the Hindu group informed us that 31 members of the Hindu organization had been arrested by the police so far. A few of these 31 youths have got bail. Hindu organization members claimed that the police action in the incident of violence was one-sided and that no Muslims were arrested in the March 9 and 14 episodes.
RSS members were assaulted in December 2022
People from the local Hindu groups said that three Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) volunteers were assaulted in December 2022 at the location where the revolutionary Sangolli Rayanna’s procession was stopped. It is alleged that prior to conducting the “Path Sanchalan,” these RSS members went to inspect the local route map. One victim of the assault, according to the information we have, has still not fully recovered.
Locals allege that even in this incident, the police did nothing to effectively stop the attackers. A video of the incident was sent to us. It is seen in the video that a mob was brutally thrashing the RSS workers in front of the police.
‘Religious processions of Hindus have been stopped earlier as well’, locals say
Hindu programmes have been interrupted numerous times before the incidents like the attack on RSS members in December 2022, and the disruption of a procession on March 9, 2023, a local Haveri resident informed OpIndia. We were told that during the immersion of Ganpati, worshippers had been pelted with stones on numerous occasions in the past, which caused communal tension in the area. A victim revealed to us that following these violent episodes, even the police would vent their anger on the members of the Hindu organisations.
The Jamia Masjid of Rattihalli is the mosque that has been regularly cited in various media reports. A participant in the procession told OpIndia that numerous Muslim community members frequently congregate near Jamia Mosque and molest girls who are passing by. They also assert that a Hindu temple once stood where the Jamia Masjid now stands.
It was also demanded that this accusation be investigated. During a conversation with OpIndia, some locals claimed that Haveri is severely affected by ‘Land Jihad’ and ‘Love Jihad’. We were also told that the Muslim population in the area has suddenly seen a spike in the last few years.
‘Congress leaders want to frame us’
The procession’s participants told OpIndia that Siddaramaiah, the former chief minister of Karnataka and prominent leader of the Congress party, was there on the day of the incident just a few kilometres away from Haveri. They alleged that Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders were behind the unilateral action by the police against Hindus in March 14 violence in Haveri. We were informed that under this pressure, the names of those who were not even present during the incident were also inserted in the FIR.
Moreover, OpIndia has received a video of a woman who claimed that her son is innocent and has been falsely implicated.
‘How long will the Hindus be compelled to tolerate atrocities?’, questions VHP
Some Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) office bearers in Karnataka told OpIndia that the Muslims’ objection to letting the procession in honour of the revolutionary pass was what sparked the dispute. In an interview with OpIndia, Vinod Bansal, the national spokesperson for the VHP, described the clash in Haveri as the outcome of the long-standing persecution of Hindus by extremist forces.
Police taking legal action
According to the Superintendent of Police in the Haveri area, some 100 rally participants engaged in vandalism and stone-throwing. The police claim that after identifying the culprits, action is being taken against them.
Stone pelted a mosque, few homes & vehicles in Haveri’s Rattihalli. Cops have confirmed that a group of about 100 people took a detour from the rally they were part of & indulged in the stone pelting, about 15 arrested and investigation is on.
— Deepak Bopanna (@dpkBopanna) March 14, 2023
Dr Shivakumar, SP Haveri 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/2FUdwctbkV
The situation in Haveri is calm at present. Although life is back to normal in the area, the police are closely monitoring the situation.
