Right-wing group ‘cleanse’ spot with cow urine after Azaan delivered outside Shivamogga DC office
Aday after Muslim men recited azaan in front of the district collector’s office in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district, members of a right-wing group sprinkled cow urine at the spot to “cleanse” the place.
A video of the incident showed a group of men belonging to a right-wing group sprinkling cow urine in front of the DC’s office and raising slogans.
Bajrang Dal leader Rajesh Gowda said, “Let them shout azaan where they have to. Let them pray where they have to. Let them do it on the roads. (But) It is not right to do it in front of the DC office. The Bajrang Dal and the VHP condemn it. We are not sitting idle. We are frontrunners in protecting the nation. It is not right to think ‘we’ll become heroes by reciting azaan’.”
WHAT IS HAPPENING IS SHIVAMOGGA?
Last week, senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa had said loudspeakers used for azaan disturb people, especially students preparing for examinations and patients in hospitals.
The BJP leader’s comment sparked a row, with members of the Muslim community staging a protest in Karnataka’s Shivamogga on Sunday. They recited azaan in front of the district collector’s office and also raised slogans against Eshwarappa.
“If that leader (Eshwarappa) spoke against our parents, we can leave it, but he made a comment about Allah and azaan. If needed, we will recite azaan in front of Vidhana Soudha too. We are not cowards. All Muslim community should unite,” a man standing outside the DC office said.
Meanwhile, following the incident, the Shivamogga Police have registered a case under Section 107 of the Indian Penal Code.
