Mangaluru: A fact-finding report on ‘Communal Policing to Hate Crimes: The Attack on Ambedkar’s Dream of Fraternity in Dakshina Kannada from January to September,’ compiled by People’s Union for Civil Liberties - Karnataka (PUCL-K), All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice (AILAJ), All India People’s Forum (AIPF), Gaurilankeshnews.com, was released at Roshini Nilaya School of Social Work on Saturday.
All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice (AILAJ) co-convener Maitreyi Krishnan, sharing her experiences on compiling the report, said that the PUCL had published a report on untoward incidents in the name of moral policing from 2008 to 2012. Issues like check on interfaith love, social boycott of minorities, atrocities in the name of cattle, suppressing religious freedom and hate speech, had been taken into consideration.
There is a need to fight against communal policing and hate crimes. There appears to be a decline in the incidents from April 2021 till August and a rise in communal incidents was observed in September – October, which coincides with aggressive calls for enactment of various legislations to ‘regulate’ conversions and inter-faith marriages.
She said the fact-finding team observed six patterns of communal violence. The first one is -- enforcing social segregation, where two people from different faiths or religions were not allowed to mingle. The second pattern is dictating intimacies, where right-wing organisations have been preventing any kind of interfaith intimate relations. Economic boycott is another pattern which became more prevalent during the pandemic. Other segments are attacks in the name of cattle protection; curbing religious freedom and hate speech.
Development and social science researcher Dr M Chandra Poojary said: “Communal violence between 1970-1990 was seen in only three places — Kalladka in Bantwal, Bolwar in Puttur and Ullal. There were murders, assault and loss of property in those days.”
Social activist Loretta Pinto said 71 untoward incidents had come to light in nine months. There may be even more unreported incidents.