The All India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ) criticised the local police for failing to file a FIR regarding the arms training organised by Sri Ram Sene
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – The All India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ), a Karnataka-based lawyers’ organisation, has urged the state’s Director General of Police to take immediate action against arms training conducted by the Hindutva group Sri Ram Sene in Bagalkot.
In a letter dated January 7, the AILAJ criticised the local police for failing to file a First Information Report (FIR) regarding the arms training held during the last week of December.
The letter highlighted past incidents where similar camps organised by right-wing groups in various parts of the state have reportedly disrupted communal harmony. These groups have been accused of engaging in moral policing, mob lynching, and other acts of violence and intimidation targeting minorities, Dalits, and progressive thinkers. The letter also referenced high-profile cases of violence, including the murders of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, scholar MM Kalburgi, and Arbaz Mulla in Belagavi, to emphasise the gravity of the issue.
The Sri Rama Sene had held the weapons training camp in Todalbagi village in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district between December 25 and 29. Bagalkot SP Y Amarnathh Reddy had said that an investigation had been ordered and that action would be taken if any illegality was found. No FIR had been registered at the time.
AILJ said that the Bagalkot SP’s lack of action was “unacceptable” and that the police should have registered a complaint suo motu.
“The police department has not taken any action against the organisers of this incident so far and it has been reported in the media that the Bagalkot SP has stated that a probe is under way. This statement by the SP is unacceptable. The police department should have registered a suo motu case against those who gave weapons training, but no case has been registered,” noted the letter.
It also pointed out that recently, there have been many incidents in which the police have registered suo motu cases against activists who protested symbolically in the state. Cases have also been registered against activists who protested peacefully for Palestine. “The silence of the police department and the government despite a serious issue in Bagalkot is condemnable,” it said.
AILAJ said that the police should have invoked Sections 25 (punishment for certain offences) and 27 (punishment for using arms) and section 61 (criminal conspiracy) and 189 (unlawful assembly) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2024, against the organisers. Under the Arms Act, arms are defined as any article designed or adapted as a weapon for offence or defence and include firearms, sharp-edged and other deadly weapons.
The association also called for preventive measures against such camps to avoid escalating communal tensions in the state.