Kalaburagi, June 1 (IANS) A large number of leaders and workers of the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a massive protest in Kalaburagi on Monday against the Karnataka government’s decision to withdraw cases related to the Aland Ladle Mashak Dargah riot incident, alleging that the move was illegal and amounted to vote-bank appeasement.

The party demanded that the cases be reopened and warned that protests would be launched across the state if the government failed to reverse its decision.

Several senior BJP leaders and elected representatives participated in the protest, including Kalaburagi Rural District BJP President Ashok Bagali, Bidar District BJP President Somnath Patil, MLAs Shailendra Beldale, Basavaraj Mattimood, and Avinash Jadhav, Legislative Council members B.G. Patil and Shashil Namoshi, former Union Minister Bhagwanth Khuba, former MP Dr. Umesh Jadhav, former MLAs Subhash Guttedar, Appugouda, and Narasimha Nayak (Raju Gowda), along with a large number of party workers and members of the public.

The protest comes amid continuing political debate over the recent government’s decision to withdraw certain criminal cases, with opposition parties accusing the Congress government of compromising law enforcement for electoral considerations.

Addressing the gathering, Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra warned that if the government failed to reverse its decision and take strict action against those responsible for the violence, protests similar to the one held in Kalaburagi would spread across the state.

He demanded that the government immediately re-register the cases against those involved in the violence and initiate stringent legal action against them.

He alleged that the Congress government, in a “Tughlaq-like” decision, had withdrawn criminal cases against those accused of desecrating the sacred Raghava Chaitanya Sri Shivalinga Temple and engaging in communal violence. Leaders described the decision as “highly condemnable” and accused the state government of siding with anti-social elements for political reasons.

They questioned what would happen to society if the state government itself stood with anti-social elements merely for the sake of vote-bank appeasement.

“The government has betrayed public trust by protecting those accused of attacking places of worship and hurting religious sentiments. If a state government itself stands with anti-social elements for the sake of vote-bank appeasement, what message does it send to society?” Vijayendra asked.

He further accused the Congress government of adopting double standards and alleged that it was shielding individuals accused of attacking religious institutions while claiming to uphold communal harmony.

Vijayendra also alleged that the Congress government’s policies were hurting the sentiments of the majority community and vowed to intensify agitation against what he termed “appeasement politics” and “anti-Hindu policies.”

He warned that their party would never tolerate what they described as the Congress government’s anti-people policies and its alleged attempts to play with the sentiments of the majority community.

“Our struggle against the Congress government’s encouragement of forces that disturb our religion, culture, and social harmony will intensify further. The people themselves will teach the Congress a fitting lesson for what we see as its anti-Hindu policies,” he said.

The shrine at the centre of the dispute is associated with 14th-century Sufi saint Hazrat Shaikh Alauddin Ansari, also known as Ladle Mashaik, and 15th-century Hindu saint Raghava Chaitanya.

According to sources, Chaitanya was the guru of Samarth Ramadas, who was revered by Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji. The premises house the samadhi of Chaitanya, on which a structure referred to as the Raghava Chaitanya Shivling has been erected.

Historically, both Muslims and Hindus have offered prayers at the site. However, tensions have flared intermittently in recent years over worship rights and the character of the premises. The dispute resurfaced during Maha Shivaratri celebrations.

Violence broke out at the Ladle Mashak Dargah, where the Sri Raghav Chaitanya Shivaling is located. Tensions escalated after allegations that the Shivaling was desecrated by miscreants. In response, members of Hindu organisations visited the site to perform purification rituals.

During the event, large-scale violence broke out, with stone-pelting reported against vehicles and individuals, including a Union Minister, district officials such as the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police, and leaders of Hindu organisations. Several people were injured in the incident.

Following the violence, Aland police registered cases against hundreds of persons, including an alleged key accused identified as Ansari. However, Congress leaders contended that several innocent Muslim youths were also named in the case and demanded that the charges against them be dropped. The Cabinet meeting chaired by outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took the decision in this regard.

–IANS

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