Four held in Kalaburagi over students’ clash during Ram Navmi
According to one of the injured students, they were allegedly targeted for being associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) within the Kalaburagi Central University.
Four people have been arrested in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district, 632 kms from Bengaluru, after a clash between students, who purportedly belong to left- and right-wing groups, following Ram Navmi celebrations, adding to the growing communal tensions in the southern state.
According to one of the injured students, they were allegedly targeted for being associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) within the Kalaburagi Central University.
“Yesterday, we offered puja in Lakshmi temple where around 80-90 students gathered. We finished the puja and when coming back they attacked us intentionally. They attacked me and another student named Narendra, threatened our lives, pelted stones and stabbed me in the chest with the blade. They said that we should not get involved with ABVP and RSS inside the campus,” Venkatesh, a student who was injured, told TV9 Kannada news channel.
The clash comes at a time when the state has been gripped by communal tensions with right-wing groups targeting Muslims over issues like hijab, halal and azan, restricting them from taking part in Hindu religious fairs and other aspects of their lifestyle choices and livelihoods.
“Yesterday there was a clash between two groups of students of which some were injured. After we get the MLC (medico legal case), we have filed an FIR,” Isha Pant, Kalaburagi district superintendent of police, said on Monday.
Pant said that there were four boys named Rahul, Rahul Arya, Sadiq and another person.
“A fight broke out between them for some issues and we will probe this and will take action on the findings,” she added.
Several cases have been filed against various members of fringe right-wing groups who have targeted Muslims at their place of worship and place of business.
Videos of Sri Rama Sene workers’ celebration after smashing watermelons sold by a Muslim vendor in Dharwad have evoked sharp reactions from across the country and beyond.
There have been other clashes reported from other districts of Karnataka including Kolar and Raichur.
At one event in Raichur, members of Sri Rama Sene celebrated Ram Navami with swords and urged people who attended the event to carry out ‘Love Kesari’ to counter ‘Love Jihad’--a term used by right-wing groups to describe interfaith relatshionships between a Hindu girl and Muslim boy.
The Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been accused of turning a blind eye on the actions of right-wing groups with the 2023 assembly elections in mind.
“Ours is a government formed according to the Constitution. We are working with the spirit of law, order and equality. There is no problem in spreading one’s thoughts. But the government will not tolerate if one takes law into one’s hands or indulges in violence. This message has been sent very clearly,” Bommai said on Monday, breaking his silence after months of communal tensions engulfed the state.
