As many as 75 writers, scholars, artists, filmmakers, scientists, and former bureaucrats have written to Prime Minister Basavaraj Bommai to emphasize the urgent need to restore peace and religious harmony in Karnataka in light of some recent incidents. As many as 75 writers, scholars, artists, filmmakers, scientists, and former bureaucrats have written to Prime Minister Basavaraj Bommai to emphasize the urgent need to restore peace and religious harmony in Karnataka in light of some recent incidents.
The signatories have said they have been trying for over a month to get an appointment with Mr. Bommai, without success, to discuss the situation in Karnataka, forcing them to write an open letter”r. “We believe that the restoration of communal harmony is an important and urgent task, and trust that the government you lead will not go down in history as the one that caused a precipitous decline in the reputation and fortune of our state by nothing to”do,” the letter reads.
A reputation to gu” rd
“We are a group of concerned citizens from different walks of life in Karnataka who, like many fellow citizens, are deeply troubled by recent developments in the state that threaten to destroy the peace, diversity, and pluralism for which Kannada Naadu has long been known and admired. We believe we must bring to your attention our concerns and suggestions for corrective action” on,” the letter reads, which detaiKarnataka’sk”‘s “long, proud history of communal harmony predating the formation of the state in ‘956’. Among the signatories are Girish Kasaravalli, Vivek Shanbagh, MS Satyu, Ramachandra Guha, Vaidehi, Shashi Deshpande, SG Vasudev, Vinod Vyasulu, Tejaswini Niranjana, Janaki Nair, Deepa Dhanraj, AR Vasavi, Sabiha Bhoomigowde, Ammushmipathyi Mayor, Ammush Heg, Chiranjeevi Singh and Pratibha Nandakum”r.
“It is not for nothing that our Rashtra KKuvempu’spu’s Naada Geethe (the national anthem) described this country almost a century ago as sarva janangada shanti ya thota – a garden of peace for diverse communities. This open-minded, cosmopolitan culture of Karnataka has recently made it a magnet for creative and innovative minds from across the coun”ry,” the signatories said. This inherent syncretism, they said, had made Karnat”ka “one of the most vibrant and dynamic states in science and technology, education, health care, entrepreneurship, literature and art, social and cultural life,e and much “more”.
A wave of attacks against this background,t the recent spate of episodes of various kinds targeting Muslim, Christian, and Dalit communities, has shocked and upset those who pridethemselvesons receptive and inclusive natu”e. “It is even more disturbing and disturbing that some people in positions of responsibility, including some in office and who have taken an oath to uphold and live up to the letter and spirit of the Indian Constitution, are now openly violating that pledge and demonize members of certain protesters. Minority “es,” they said.
The signatories have put forward several demands, including protecting vulnerable citizens and guaranteeing that victim of crimes, including municipal and caste crimes, have full access to justice. They have taken swift and strong action against those who indulge in hate speech and publicly stand up to the misinformation and false stories about minorities that are regularly disseminated. The letter also appealed to the me” is, “which has openly fanned the flames of division and disagreement by promoting bigotry, hatred, and violence and spreading fake news and false rum”us” to stop such malpractice immediately.
