Daijiworld Media Network – Honnavar (FR)
Updated
Honnavar, Dec 11: The otherwise calm and peaceful Uttara Kannada district is gripped in communal tension since December 6, 2017. What began as a minor altercation between bike rider and auto driver over a small accident in Honnavar has taken a communal colour following the alleged abduction of 21 year-old-Paresh Mesta, whose mutilated body was subsequently found on Friday in a lake nearby, after two days of the December 6th clashes.
BJP and Vishwa Hindu Parishad had given a bandh call on Monday December 11 in Karwar, Kumta and Mundagod taluks of Uttara Kannada protesting the unnatural and suspicious death of Paresh Mesta. The bandh call which was given this morning by the BJP evoked total response in these taluks. Shops, markets and hotels were totally closed and autos, taxis and buses also were off the road. The bandh was near total in Karwar wherein shops refused to open even after 7 pm. A few buses began to ply after 7 pm giving some relief to the stranded people.
The bandh call turned violent in Kumta when some miscreants torched the police vehicle and police had to resort to lathi charge to bring the situation under control. Some stone pelting incidents were reported in Karwar also.
Miscreants pelted stones to some shops and tyres were set ablaze near London Bridge in the heart of Karwar. Protestors also threw stones at fire fighters which arrived at the spot to avert any untoward incident.
The near total response to the bandh call in Karwar has come as a surprise to its people considering that Uttara Kannada district has always cold shouldered such calls for bandhs till last year. Savitha Gouda, who is in her early 40s says, "It is for the first time she has seen such a bandh in Karwar. All these years there were many calls for bandh by various parties backed by several organizations. But it never evoked this kind of massive support."
Similar sentiments were echoed by Mangal Naik who says “I hope good sense prevails among politicians and our people because Uttara Kannada is have always been known for peace and harmony”.
The bandh call caused inconvenience to commuters who had come to the city by train. The bandh call comes close to the three day Karavali Utsav had ended late on Sunday. School and college children who had already left their homes (bandh call was given after 8 am) had difficulty in getting back to their homes.
The social media which is abuzz with videos, messages and forwards have also contributed to the tense situation in Uttara Kannada, says a local journalist.
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