Controversial Reopening of Cases Against Hindu Activists Sparks Tensions in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Recently, a rioting case against Hindu activist Srikanth Poojary was reopened in Hubballi of Karnataka after a gap of 30 years related to Ram Mandir- Babri Masjid issue, in a similar act by the police in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka have reopened a seven year case against 14 Hindu activists related to demolition of tombs at disputed site Datta Peeta in Chikkamagaluru under Prevention of Damages to Public Property Act. Datta Peeta is a disputed shrine between Hindus and Muslims.
Among the 14 Hindu activists against whom cases have been reopened include Tudkur Manjunath who has been named accused 1 and he told Deccan Chronicle on Thursday that he suspected that the ruling Congress government is trying to suppress Hindu activists in Karnataka and stated that cases against the activists were withdrawn by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in 2021 while the Congress ruled State Government reopened the cases especially when Ram Mandir at Ayodhya is scheduled for inauguration in a fortnight.
Tudkur Manjunath stated that when demolition of tombs took place at the Datta Peeta shrine site when Datta jayanthi was celebrated and said he was engaged in other tasks such as arranging pujas, homas, receiving dignitaries, among others on the day when hundreds of activists razed down the tombs at the site. He claimed “I was busy that day.”
He said the Siddaramaiah government in 2014 withdrew cases against activists of Popular Front of India (PFI) and “Why cases have not been reopened against PFI?” Manjunath considered Datta Peeta a holy place where Dattareya performed meditation and claimed that tombs at the site were "unauthorised."
Along with Manjunath, his associates-Shivaraju, Sandesh, Sumanth, Nagendra Pujari, Mohan, Ashok, Theju, Srinath, Lokesh, Mahendra, Sandeep and Ramu have been summoned First Additional Civil Judge and JMFC, Chikkamagaluru on January 8.
