While the police arrested five of the accused – Vadivelu, Shrikantha, Savayi Singh, Krishna, and Ramu alias Gunda – all the five were released on station bail.
Bengaluru: Days after a controversy over a ban on hijabs rocked Karnataka, fresh protests have erupted over the sale of halal meat in the state. On Thursday, five activists of the Bajrang Dal were arrested for assaulting people in separate incidents over the sale of halal meat in Shivamogga district, said the police.
On Wednesday, a group of around 10-15 people approached a meat shop and asked for non-halal meat, said the police. When the shopkeeper asked the men to leave his shop, the group allegedly thrashed him and his relative. The owner of the shop was identified as Syed Ansari and his relative was identified as Tousif.
Moments later, the group reportedly reached a hotel and charged the man, Osama Hunain, for selling halal meat. When his friend Aditya tried to intervene, the group of Right-wing activists allegedly beat up the duo, said the police.
While the police arrested five of the accused – Vadivelu, Shrikantha, Savayi Singh, Krishna, and Ramu alias Gunda – all the five were released on station bail.
Meanwhile, at Chamarajapet area of Bengaluru, two Right-wing activists were spotted distributing pamphlets against the sale of halal meat and urging people to buy meat only from Hindu shops. When locals spotted the duo, they drove them away from the spot.
While Karnataka recently witnessed heightened protests against wearing hijabs in educational institutes, with several pleas being submitted by Muslim girl students at the court to secure the right to wear the headscarves as a part of their uniform, reports of Muslim traders being barred from setting up stalls at fairs and near temples have also surfaced.
On March 15, the Karnataka High Court had said wearing hijabs is not an essential religious practice and had junked the slew of petitions filed by Muslim girl students of pre university colleges who were opposed to the ban enforced by the state government.
Karnataka Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, while reading out a portion of the order had said, “We are of the considered opinion that wearing of the hijab by Muslim women does not make up an essential religious practice in Islamic faith.”
