The Hindu

Mangalore, Jan 26: Political, religious and industry leaders showed up on Friday for the peace committee meeting organised by the Dakshina Kannada district administration in the wake of the recent violence in Ullal this week.
The event was a sombre affair where political leaders, cutting across party lines, expressed dismay over the events and condemned the violence.

Deputy Commissioner Maheshwar Rao and Superintendent of Police N Satheesh Kumar attended the meeting.
Religious leaders too promised that they would rein in errant individuals, especially hot-headed youth within their community.

Sections of the general public also blamed political parties and leaders for the unfortunate turn of events and “communalisation” of the region.

Members from Kanara Chambers of Commerce and Industry represented the entrepreneurial section.
Kumble Narasimha Prabhu, president, and Ahmed Bawa, honorary treasurer of KCCI, expressed concern over the flare-ups and warned that such tendencies would adversely affect commerce and drive away prospective investors from the region.

Rao echoed the concerns of the business community in his speech and said that the reason for violent tendencies among youth was lack of education and employment.

In his message to the leaders of various communities, he implored them to work towards the intellectual, moral and financial development of their community members.

All the participants were unanimous in their appeal to sections of media to desist from sensationalising news during communal flare-ups. It was also suggested that sections within the media should immediately stop naming the injured and the accused during such events. Even the police were requested to stop releasing the list of names of the injured and accused. They were also of the opinion that the press should play a proactive role during the process of reconciliation.