Bowing to Pressure from Hindutva Groups, Karnataka Festival 'bans' Muslim Traders

In clear violation of the Indian constitutional maxim of equality for all (Article 14) and non-discrimination to none (Article 15) and under pressure from Hindutva groups, the organisers of an historic festival in Karnataka have banned Muslim shopkeepers from conducting business during it.

The organising committee of the Kote Marikamba Jatra in Shivamogga has buckled to demands by Bharatiya Janata Party, Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, that no Muslim be allowed to ply his trade during the festival, The Hindu has reported. The committee has now allotted the tender to a Hindutva group.

The cultural event, the Kote Marikamba Jatra festival is held once in two years and is immensely popular among revellers who join festivities irrespective of caste or religion.

According to the Hindu, the committee had initially allotted the tender for managing shops and collecting fees to a certain person for Rs 9.1 lakh. When Muslim traders tried to set up stalls, Hindutva workers registered an aggressive objection, leading the original tender holder to cancel the allotment made to him.

On March 19, the committee, after a meeting with Hindutva groups, decided to offer tender to the latter so they could allot shops. The president told The Hindu that this decision was taken to ensure that the festival went smoothly and that “the committee had never taken a stand against any particular religion all these years.”

The reason? Far right leaders of Hindutva have allegedly cited the murder of a Hindutva worker in Shivamogga for this ban. Sabrangindia had reported how Muslim majority localities in the city had then borne the burden of the Hindutva workers’ agitation following the killing, even though the police has been clear of no communal angle in the murder.