Karnataka: The personalities highlighted “violence against religious minorities” in their letter (File)
Bangalore:
Nearly three dozen eminent personalities have written a joint open letter to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai expressing their concern over the “continuous violence against religious minorities” in the state.
“We are a group of senior scientists, writers, academicians, artists and lawyers, and we write with concern about the deteriorating governance of Karnataka and the continuing violence against religious minorities,” read the letter.
The letter said, “In the past few months, the state witnessed brutal killings of youth, large-scale ‘hate speech’, public intimidation and disruption of worship by religious minorities, ‘honour killings’, ‘moral policing’ in several districts.” Hate statements by legislators, and incidents of hostile and violent encounters between different religious groups. These tendencies have been encouraged by harsh and unconstitutional statements made by legislators and the state machinery’s inability to rein in anti-social groups.”
The letter further alleged that such trends go against Karnataka’s long history as a progressive state that facilitated the social harmony of a plural society and initiated model welfare programs for all sections of the population.
“The cultural history of the state celebrates a plurality of cultures and religious tolerance and our icons have long been Basavanna, Akkamahadevi, Kanakadas, Purandaradas and Shishunala Sharifa. Our litterateurs from Bendre to Kuvempu have celebrated a Carnaticism based on multiple cultural identities which together form a cohesive and rich social fabric,” the letter said.
It said, “We note with both sadness and concern that these traditions of tolerance and shared good are being broken. Instead, the state is losing its identity on multiple fronts. Financial, administrative and political fronts.” Karnataka is losing. Its federal strength.”
“We call upon all of you to seriously review these negative trends in the state and ensure that the rule of law, principles of the Constitution, rights of all citizens and basic norms of humanity prevail. It will be your ability to overcome these challenges. which will be the yardstick with which future generations will assess you,” the letter said.
On this special day, as India marks its national status as a ‘republic’ and as a state within this federal republic, personalities expressed hope that the government would maintain social harmony, just laws and state machinery. The period of democratic functioning will begin. ,
Eminent personalities include Professor Vinod Gaur, former Secretary in the Department of Science and Technology, and Major General SG Vombatkere, VSM (Retd) among others.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
,