BENGALURU: The Karnataka government’s decision to withdraw criminal proceedings against individuals in connection with the 2022 Hubballi violence has ignited a political slugfest between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has dubbed the move “the height of appeasement”.
The decision to withdraw proceedings against people facing charges for attacking a police station where a man accused of putting out a provocative social media post was being held on April 16, 2022, was part of the state cabinet’s decision on Thursday to drop many high-profile cases, which it concluded, were politically motivated. Apart from Dalit activists, farmer leaders, Kannada activists, and other groups, the decision covers cases against BJP leader CT Ravi as well.
But it is the inclusion of the Hubbali case in this list that has turned controversial.
Trouble began in old Hubbali district, 400 km from Bengaluru, when an alleged objectionable post offending religious sentiments surfaced on social media. The post allegedly showed a digitally altered image of a saffron flag flying over a masjid.
When the police took the man responsible for the offensive post into custody, a large crowd gathered outside the police station to demand that the police hand him over. Soon, it turned violent with the mob hurling stones at the police, and damaging public and private property. Four police personnel were injured in the violence. In all, the police filed 12 FIRs and arrested 158 people.
Among those arrested were All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Mohammed Arif and AIMIM corporator Nazir Honya. While some of the accused have since been released on bail, many continue to remain in prisons in Bellary and Kalaburagi. In addition to charges of rioting, the accused faced severe allegations, including attempted murder and incitement to violence.
Congress leaders said deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar asked the home department in October 2023 to conduct a review and reconsider the charges related to the Hubballi riots. This exercise by the home department and police authorities led to the cabinet deciding to withdraw the cases.
On Friday, Union minister Pralhad Joshi, who represents the Hubballi-Dharwad constituency, led the BJP’s offensive on the state government, saying the decision was ‘the height of appeasement’ and vote-bank politics.
“Unfortunately, the Congress party here in Karnataka has reached the height of appeasement. They have withdrawn the case under the UAPA [Unlawful Activities Prevention Act] when the matter is before the NIA [National Investigation Agency] court. In normal circumstances, the state cannot withdraw it, but still, they have gone ahead. This is the height of appeasement,” Joshi said.
Former deputy chief minister CN Ashwath Narayan also criticised the Congress, accusing the state government of playing politics with law and order. “The Congress always stands for appeasement and vote-bank politics. They have been exposed time and again for their bias. How can they withdraw the Hubballi riot case, which involved serious charges like rioting and attempted murder? This decision is deeply questionable,” Narayan said.
For now, the Congress has brushed aside the criticism, insisting that many of the cases were politically motivated and should not have been filed in the first place.
Cabinet minister Priyank Kharge explained that the review process had also led to the withdrawal of charges against Kannada activists and farmer leaders, whose cases were as much as a decade old. “We have withdrawn politically motivated cases. Several cases, like those involving protests by farmers and pro-Kannada activists, have also been withdrawn. In fact, cases filed against senior BJP leaders, including C.T. Ravi, were also dropped because they were politically motivated. Why is there no objection to that?” Kharge asked.
“In cases like this, many people get arrested because the words ‘others’ are used in the FIR. Many of these individuals have struggled to continue their studies or secure jobs because of these cases. We examined each case carefully and made the decision to withdraw those that were not directly related to serious offences,” he said.
