Demonstrations would spread statewide if no immediate action is taken against Kalladka Prabhakar Bhatt, said a protestor.
Team Clarion
BENGALURU – Members of various organisations in Karnataka have taken cudgels on behalf of Muslim women who are reportedly upset over recent disparaging remarks by RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhatt against the fairer sex of the Muslim community.
These organisations staged a protest demanding Bhatt’s immediate arrest for his remark on Muslim women. “Our foremost objective is clear. We demand the arrest of RSS leader Prabhakar Bhatt. The comments he made, particularly targeting women of a marginalised community, are shameful and derogatory. The absence of his arrest is not just a failure but a significant lapse on the part of the government,” said a protester at Freedom Park here on Friday.
Significantly, the Karnataka High Court on Friday gave a big relief to Bhatt as it directed the state not to take coercive action against him for his speech on 24 December in Srirangapatna in Mandya District of the state.
The vacation bench of Justice Rajesh Rai, who heard Bhatt’s petition on Thursday, issued notices to the state and the complainant in the case and directed the state not to take coercive action till the next date of hearing.
Bhatt’s arrest in the case, therefore, has been stalled for the time being.
At the Freedom Park protest, Rakshita Singh, an advocate, said if action was not taken against Bhatt the society will continue to see such situations in the future that will lead to hateful comments against specific genders and marginalised communities. “Punishments should be meted out to people to make them think before making such remarks,” she said.
“It goes beyond targeting a specific gender or community and it involves the misuse of freedom of speech to the point where it fosters a hateful environment, jeopardising the safety of a community within their own country, she was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.
Sayeda Begum, state secretary of Women India, said the protests will continue statewide until the government and law enforcement agencies take legal action against Bhatt. “His remark has emotionally disturbed our whole community. We elected this government to stand up for our rights but they have miserably failed,” she said.
Bhatt has been booked by the police in Srirangapatna under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including Sections 354 (Assault on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 294 (uttering obscene words at a public place), and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion).
The FIR against the RSS leader was filed after Najma Nazeer, leading JD(S) leader and social activist, lodged a complaint against him.
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Photo: RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat . — Twitter