The Hindu Hitarakshana Vedike organised a rally and public meeting at Nehru Maidan here on Wednesday to protest against the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill 2011.
According to police estimates, 20,000 people walked from Jyoti Circle to Nehru Maidan, where seers of various maths, and leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Vishwa Hindu Parishat and other organisations addressed the gathering.
People in the rally included students from nearby colleges.
Prantha Sanghathana Pramukh of Dharma Rakshana Karnataka Muniyappa called the Bill a “deshadrohi (traitor)” Bill, which nobody wanted.
Instead, he sought a law to prevent conversions.
State vice-president of VHP M.B. Puranik claimed that the Bill was being passed to “appease the minority communities”. By bringing Dalits within the ambit of the Bill, there was an “attempt to break Hindu society”, he alleged.
Seer of Vajradehi Math Shri Shri Shri Rajashekarananda Swamiji said that “we (Hindus)” did not want the Bill tabled in the winter session of Parliament. The swamiji said that according to the Bill, a police inspector would not register complaints made by Hindus, rather Hindus would be jailed.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Pramukh Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat dared the Centre to pass the Bill. “We (Hindus) cannot live if the Bill is passed,” he claimed.
