Statesman
Bangalore, Apr 2: Victims of violence, a Dalit and two Muslims, who were harassed and beaten up for procuring beef to eat at a village in Chikmagalur district in Karnataka today sought action against Bajrang Dal activists as well as the police even as the Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike, an anti-communal outfit, threatened to launch a larger agitation on 8 April seeking justice.
Speaking here at the Press Club, the three victims told reporters that while Bajrang Dal activists hit them on 4 March the police after being mere spectators lodged them in jail after arresting them at 1 a.m without filing a complaint.
The incident happened in Shantipura village located in Balehannur Taluk in Chikmagalur district when Mr Kunji Moidu, a Muslim resident of the village, brought beef to his house. Beef, which is not available locally, was brought from Chikmagalur town by Mr Moidu and was kept in his house.
As the news reached the Bajrang Dal activists, about 10 - 12 people entered the house and locked the women of the household and beat up Mr Moidu. They also dragged Jayaram a Dalit farm hand who was plucking chillies from the garden of Mr Moidu’s residence and Mr Bava, another Muslim, who was present and beat them all up, they three said. Jayaram said he was dragged to the village circle where he was stripped and the raw meat was stuffed into his mouth.
The entire activity of the Bajrang Dal happened within the vicinity of the police station there, Komu Souharda Vedike joint secretary Mr Deepu said. He further added that: "Violence for possession of beef has become a usual thing in Karnataka whereas there is no law in the state against consumption or possession of beef or cow slaughter.
It has actually become a usual thing these days in Karnataka to find those transporting cows being held and harassed by activists with the police looking the other way. In Mangalore, for example, whenever cows are taken to the slaughter house they are stopped on the way and the driver of the van is beaten up. The police usually lodge a complaint against the driver of the van and hold him in custody under some pretext or the other," Mr Deepu said.
A complaint was, however, lodged in the Moidu case the next day against 10 persons involved in the incident with the intervention of the Vedike which went on a demonstration. Under pressure the police arrested eight persons who were let off within two hours, he said. "Those who indulged in violence should have been booked under the Prevention of Atrocities (against Dalits) Act which is a non-bailable offence," Mr Deepu said.
"We don’t consider the case closed. We will be holding a bigger protest on 8 April in Chikmagalur demanding that those who were violent be booked under the atrocities Act and also the suspension of the inspector of the police station in the vicinity of which the incident happened," Mr Deepu said.
Incidentally, the area where the incident happened also has a mix of Malayalee population for whom beef is a relished meat in Kerala.
The Keralites are plantation settlers who are caught in the conflict over food habits prevailing in the past few years in Karnataka.