Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Aug 12: Dakshina Kannada, which is in the news since the last  few weeks for serial murders, has a history of five decades of communal clashes and killings. More than 40 people have been killed for the same reason during the period. But the irony is that so far none of the assailants has been given stringent punishment.

Excepting for one or two years between 1968 to 2022 religious friction is seen in the district for one reason or the other. Earlier, this used to happen in mobs and group clashes. Now individuals are being targeted.

At present, most of the killings occur on issue related to girls, cow slaughter and religious centres. Revenge killings have seen the district slapped with curfews.

Suratkal, Mulki, Bajpe, Mangaluru city, Ullal, Thokkottu, Farangipet, B C Road and Polali, the list of sensitive areas is growing by the year. So far more than 15 people each have been murdered in both Hindu and Muslim communities. Some have even died due to firing by police. Most of them are innocents.

Another fact of concern is that severe punishment is not meted out to the perpetrators of these crimes. Though the accused are sentenced in lower courts most of them get acquitted in the high court. Some are at the inquiry stage since many years.

The accused are not getting severe punishment because of their political connections. Cases are withdrawn and justice is not served. PUCL member Suresh Bhat Bakrabailu says that a fast track court needs to be established for inquiry of communal clash related cases.

Hindu leader Sharan Pumpwell says, “The accused persons are not punished severely in the communal clashes that have taken place in DK so far. Fast track courts are needed for this reason. Only when religious leaders take lead and make youth understand about the reality, these kind of clashes can be eradicated. When Yediyurappa was the CM, such an attempt was made in 2008. He had held discussion between Sangh Parivar and Muslim organisations.”