Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jun 7: BJP MLC C T Ravi on Saturday, June 7 demanded a ban on what he called ‘communal and hate-inciting foreign religious texts’. He claimed that such texts were at the root of ongoing communal tensions in Dakshina Kannada district and urged the police department to act decisively against them.

Ravi’s comments come in the backdrop of a spate of incidents in the district, including the murders of Suhas Shetty and Abdul Rahman.

A BJP delegation is scheduled to visit the region on Monday to study these events and recommend steps toward restoring peace. Ravi noted that a Congress delegation led by senior leader B K Hariprasad had also recently visited with similar intentions, and that the police have begun taking steps in this direction.

Ravi offered a series of pointed suggestions to the police, claiming that the roots of communal conflict lay in cow slaughter, ‘love jihad’, and religious conversions. “When both those who slaughter cows and those who protest are treated equally by the police, injustice is done,” he said, demanding that cow slaughter be stopped, love jihad—which he referred to as an organized activity—be curbed, and conversions be strictly regulated.

He also questioned the source of financial backing for those involved in such activities. “Where is this easy money coming from? Some people are funding these activities for religious reasons. This money is being used for drugs, illegal sand mining, and betting,” he alleged. He urged senior police officers to ensure that no member of their department was complicit in such networks.

In a sharp rebuke, Ravi accused the police of weighing both noble and criminal elements on the same scale. He advised them to visit the home of 80-year-old Poovappa and Seetharam, who he described as embodiments of patriotism.

C T Ravi also objected to police statements referring to Hindu organisations like the VHP and Bajrang Dal as ‘communal’, asserting that ‘Hindu ideology is not communal’. He contrasted this with other religions, claiming, “In some religions, people are killed for claiming there is no god but a prophet.”

On the issue of provocative posts on social media, he questioned the lack of action against certain religious texts. “These books call for killing non-believers. If we take action against them, peace can prevail globally,” he said. 

Ravi accused Congress of vote-bank politics and alleged that it showed no sympathy after the murder of Suhas Shetty, whose family had supported the party for decades. He added that while the murder of Rahman was acknowledged, Suhas' killing was being sidelined. He also criticised the government for allegedly providing compensation to Kabir, who died in a police encounter during cattle transport.

He warned against pre-emptively blaming VHP or Bajrang Dal leaders for recent incidents, demanding fair investigations. “The organisations should not be targeted before proper inquiry,” he insisted.

Challenging the police department, he said, “If you truly have the courage, act against the religious texts that spread hatred.” He added that such hate-filled texts do not exist in Indian scriptures but can be found in certain foreign ones, citing this as a major cause for conflict.

Referring to Congress MP Nasir Hussain, he cast doubts over his credibility by alleging that he once raised ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans in Vidhana Soudha.

Ravi concluded by stressing that his suggestions were aimed at maintaining peace and that society’s mindset was influenced by religious texts. “VHP is a Hindu organisation and promotes unity among Hindus. We do not justify any killings,” he clarified.

He also took a swipe at the recent felicitation of cricketers at Vidhana Soudha, claiming that the event, reportedly arranged by the Bengaluru police commissioner, was politically motivated and involved selfies with Congress leaders’ children and grandchildren.

Calling it insensitive, he said, “If the CM himself eats dosa after such a tragedy, even God will not forgive him. I hope the information I have is false. But if it is true, they do not deserve to remain in power for even a moment.”