A section of Muslims coming under the newly floated banner ‘Belgaum Muslims’, on Tuesday demanded the State government to ban Hindutva organisations such as VHP, Bajrang Dal, Sri Ram Sene, RSS, Sanathan Sanstha, Hindu Mahasabha, and Maharana Pratab Brigade considering their alleged terror activities.
Staging a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office here, they said all these organisations, of late, had been repeatedly indulging in violence and inciting communal passions, leading to deterioration of communal harmony and peace. They said these organisations were deliberately misleading the common man by describing Tipu Sultan as anti-Hindu and anti-national, even though he fought foreign rule and worked for the development and progress of all sections of the people during his rule.
Recently, a Muslim was killed during Tipu Sultan Jayanti celebrations in Madikeri in firing when VHP activist Kuttappa led a protest to oppose the celebration. Though he died due to fall from a wall during the disturbance as already stated by the police authorities, some Hindutva organisations were likening it to a murder.
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The situation in Belagavi was also deteriorating due to certain incidents witnessed recently. Taking serious note of involvement of these organisations and their leaders belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party issuing “provocative and threatening statements” via media, the government should immediately impose a ban on them and take concrete measures to strengthen communal harmony and peace, the Belgaum Muslim organisation said. Later, its members submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner.