Withdraw communal riot cases against Kannada activists or face statewide agitation warn activists

Statewide protest if communal riot cases filed against Kannada activists is not withdrawn.   There is a plot to impose Hindi and suppress Kannada agitation and it will not be tolerated. Police Commissioner Praveen Sood, who is responsible for this should be transferred. Kannada activists were intentionally accused of communal riot to suppress pro-Kannada agitation.

Authors, theatre personalities, pro-Kannada organisations have demanded that the communal riot cases filed against Kannada activists, who painted black the Hindi in Metro name boards, should be withdrawn or else warned of a statewide protest, reported Kannada Prabha.

At a press meet held on Sunday the writers, artists and pro-Kannada activists said that there is a plot to impose Hindi and suppress Kannada agitation and it will not be tolerated. Writer Dr Chandrashekhar Patil said the Kannada activists were intentionally accused of communal riot to suppress pro-Kannada agitation. The cases are filed on personal vendetta, and given a twist, he alleged.

Theatre personality and actor Prakash Belawadi said the police themselves have decided that the Kannada activists are one community and other language speakers are another community and hence have filed cases of communal riot.

If the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah does not take a firm stand against Hindi imposition in the beginning stage itself,  the agitation will grow into a massive people’s protest. Then the government has to take responsibility for that, he said.

G Anand of Banavasi Balaga said sufficient time and warning was given to Metro through twitter campaign, letter campaign, signature campaign and only when the Metro officials did not respond that the painting black campaign was taken up. How else can an injustice be protested he asked.

Samata Sainik Dala President M Venkataswamy said that filing communal riot cases for painting black on Hindi is strongly condemned. Police Commissioner Praveen Sood, who is responsible for this should be transferred immediately.

Muslim’s Kannada Vedike President Samiulla, Akhila Karnataka Catholic Christian Kannada Sangha General Secretary Rafael Raju, Dalit Federation President B R Bhaskar Prasad and Karnataka Janashakti office bearer Vasu were present.