CM Siddaramaiah's Crackdown On Hindu Activists In Karnataka: Not The First Time, Won't Be The Last

On the first of January, as the whole country woke up to a new year in celebration, it was not the same for Srikanth Poojari, a Hindu activist from Hubballi. The Congress government in Karnataka arrested Poojari for a 31-year-old case for allegedly being involved in the riots during the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

Soon, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), rose in protest against the government and termed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's government as an 'ISI government' that is working against the interest of Hindus.

Srikanth Poojari, accused of setting fire to a minority-owned shop in Hubballi on December 5, 1992, has been apprehended by the Hubballi police.

Poojari is the third person to be arrested in this case, with the police continuing their search for the remaining eight suspects.

Those outside the state may see an emboldened Congress after their Karnataka victory, but as far as Siddaramaiah's track record is concerned, this is nothing new. By reopening decade-old cases against activists, CM Siddaramaiah is not shying away from declaring his commitment to his vote bank.

During his previous term as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah cultivated the 'anti-Hindu' image after allowing Tipu Sultan's 'jayanti' to be celebrated. He defended his decision and hailed Sultan as a 'freedom fighter' like Kittur Rani Chenamma.

Leaders belonging to opposition parties like the BJP have accused him of being 'anti-Hindu'.

Why? Because of CM Siddaramaiah's track-record of issuing statements that invite such criticisms.

On one occasion, he remarked (albeit jokingly, he claims) that he is 'afraid' to be near people with kumkum mark or tilak drawn on their forehead. During his previous tenure, police personnel were banned from wearing earrings and bangles to work.

When he took over as the chief minister once again this year, the Muzrai Department got into trouble for reportedly issuing a circular stopping grants for development work in Hindu places of worship. After a backlash against the Congress, Minister Ramalinga Reddy called for the order to be withdrawn.

While he has claimed to be an atheist and a rationalist on the one hand, he has also made attempts to display his devotion to the Hindu faith on multiple occasions. But more often than not, he lands himself into trouble.

Once, he allegedly entered a temple after consuming fish. On another occasion, he refused to enter one. He has disputed many of these claims and called it 'fake news', but the perception remains.

Poojari's arrest is not the first time Siddaramaiah has acted against such activists. In fact, many critics have accused him on cracking down on Hindu activists in the past.

Earlier last year, Swarajya had reported on the crackdown on some Hindu activists in coastal Karnataka. Some of them are 'exiled' from time to time because of an order from the local police. According to the government, these activists are a threat to law and order in the region and are prone to provoking religious sentiments in a region that is already communally sensitive.

In 2018, columnist Santhosh Thammaiah was arrested in the middle of the night by the then Siddaramaiah government for writing against the government.

Hindu activists recall an incident when the Congress government in the state charged the President's gallantry medal winner constable Naveen G Naik with murder. Naik was a member of the Anti Naxal Force in Karnataka and had fired at a member of the minority community for not stopping the vehicle carrying cattle in the middle of the night in 2014.

The Siddaramaiah government, in one instance, booked Sangh leaders for organising a funeral procession for an activist, but did not try to find out who threw stones at the procession.

The BJP has accused him of withdrawing criminal cases against around 1,600 of Popular Front of India and Karnataka Forum for Dignity activists. He, however, has contested these claims by the BJP.

Given CM Siddaramaiah's past record and current actions, the recent crackdown is unlikely to be the last time we see such a news coming from Karnataka