Members of the Action Committee for Anti-superstition Act staged a protest in Shivamogga on Friday urging the State government to enact a suitable law to check superstition.
Addressing the protest meet, M. Gurumurthy, convener of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti, said that reactionary forces were exploiting common people by promoting superstitious practices in the name of religion and tradition. Scholar M.M. Kalburgi, rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare, who opposed superstitious practices, were killed by reactionary forces. It was necessary to enact a strict law against superstitious practices to maintain peace and order in society, he said.
Laws banning superstitious practices had been introduced in the neighbouring States of Maharashtra and Kerala. The Karnataka government should follow a similar model. The final draft of proposed anti-superstition bill should be prepared after consulting legal experts, religious heads and representatives of progressive organisations, he said.
Social activists K.P. Sripal, K.L. Ashok and writer Rajendra Chenni were present.
In Hassan
Intellectuals, writers and activists of several progressive organisations on Friday took out a rally urging the State government to pass the anti-superstition Bill in the legislature.
They began their rally from the Kannada Sahitya Parishat Bhavan and gathered on the premises of the Deputy Commissioner’s office to stage a dharna there.
The rally was taken out under the banner of district working committee to put pressure on the government to pass the bill. The protesters said that the draft of the bill had already been prepared. However, it was not passed due to opposition from a section of society. “Many practices that exploit the downtrodden are still in vogue. Such practices affect the dignity of individuals, besides torturing them physically and mentally. The government should take the issue seriously and pass the bill,” said Yathishwar, convener of the district committee.
The demands of the protesters include revision of the draft bill with the help of an experts’ panel, discussion with legal experts, religious heads and politicians over the revised draft and finalisation of the bill. They demanded the government take appropriate measures to arrest those involved in the murder of M.M. Kalburgi.
Writer Ja.Ho. Narayanaswamy, journalist R.P. Venkateshamurthy, leader of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti Narayanadas and others participated in the march.
In Mandya
Demanding enactment of the anti-superstition law in the State, students of several colleges and activists of a few social organisations took out a rally here on Friday.
Protesting under the banner of Karnataka Moudhyacharane Prathibhandaka Kanoonu Jarigagi Kriya Samiti, they assembled at Sri Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar Circle on Bengaluru-Mysuru highway here and formed a human chain.
They urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to get the anti-superstition bill passed as a mark of respect for M.M. Kalburgi.
The Union government should ban all superstitious and meaningless practices that were in vogue in the name of religions as they were bringing down the dignity of human beings, they said.
Vested interests and conmen had been exploiting innocent people in the name of black magic, blind beliefs and superstitious practices, they alleged.
Mandya City Municipal Council member B. Siddaraju and samiti activists participated in the protest.
