'Is Hanuman Chalisa banned?': BJP after Bengaluru man claims assault over 'azaan'

BJP leader PC Mohan alleged that the attack on man is the grim reality of Congress's 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan' pitch.

Bengaluru: A shopkeeper in Bengaluru was beaten up by a group of men after an alleged altercation over ‘azaan’, the police said on Monday. Reacting to the controversy, BJP leader R Ashoka accused the Congress government in Karnataka of appeasement.

Leader of Opposition in Karnataka assembly and BJP leader R Ashoka.

"An altercation occurred between a group of people and a shopkeeper last evening during 'Azaan' time when a shopkeeper played a song loudly near Siddanna Layout, in Bengaluru. A few Muslim youths questioned him, and an argument ensued, leading to them hitting the shopkeeper. An FIR has been registered at Halasuru Gate Police Limit, and the police are working to arrest the accused," the police were quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The shopkeeper later accused the group of beating them for playing Hanuman bhajan.

"I was playing Hanuman bhajan. 4-5 people came and said it is time for Azaan and if you play it we will beat you. They beat me and also threatened me that they would stab me with a knife," the man told the news agency.

Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, BJP leader R Ashoka, slammed the Congress government for allegedly failing to maintain law and order in the state.

"Is Hanuman Chalisa banned in Karnataka CM @siddaramaiah avare?" he asked on X.

"Emboldened by the appeasement politics of Siddaramaiah, a violent muslim mob brutally attacked a Hindu Shopkeeper in Bengaluru for playing Hanuman Chalisa. After Pakistan Zindabad slogans raised in Vidhan Soudha and bomb blast in Rameshwaram Cafe, this yet another glaring example of how Congress government has let the anti-national elements capture Bengaluru leading to complete collapse of law and order," R Ashoka said.

BJP leader PC Mohan alleged that the attack on man is the grim reality of Congress's 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan' pitch.

"In Bengaluru, a poor Hindu man was assaulted by a Muslim mob for allegedly playing the Hanuman Chalisa. The grim reality of Congress's Mohabbat Ki Dukaan," he wrote on X.

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya said anti-social elements didn't allow bhajans during the time of 'azaan'.

"A Hindu shopkeeper who was playing bhajans at his shop was assaulted by anti-social elements saying bhajans aren't allowed during the time of 'azaan'. The emboldening of such elements is a direct result of Congress's appeasement politics. Just a few days back, people who shouted Pakistan Zindabad were given bail. With such political backing available to Jihadis, naturally such incidents of crime against Hindus have risen in our State. CM must stop setting wrong precedents. I call upon him to update the State on what action is initiated against the miscreants in this case," he wrote on X.

With inputs from ANI