• Karnataka BJP protests against man's arrest in Babri masjid riots case

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    Karnataka BJP protests against man's arrest in Babri masjid riots case

    The police announced that they have tightened security in Hubbali and other regions of the state following the demonstration.

    Digital Desk: Karnataka BJP workers protested on Wednesday against the arrest of a person connected to the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition-related unrest. The 50-year-old accused, Poojary, was detained on Monday, and the protest took place in Hubbali.

    The police announced that they have tightened security in Hubbali and other regions of the state following the demonstration.

    As a result of a party's call for a protest, we have meticulously planned the area around the protest site. Thirteen cases involving bootlegging, riots, and other incidents have been investigated. As of right moment, we have not received any letter [to protest]," Senior Police Officer Renuka Sukumar said.

    On Monday, thirty-one years after the Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh was demolished and nationwide rioting ensued, Poojary was taken into custody. Karnataka Police claimed that the man wasn't arrested at the time because his case was still "long-pending" and that the arrest was made during a routine drive.

    The Karnataka government, led by the Congress, was accused by the BJP of "targeting Hindu activists" and the arrest was described as a "witch hunt against Hindus."

    Ahead of the dedication of Ram Mandir, BJP leader DV Sadananda Gowda questioned "why this provocation" and labeled it a "politically motivated" action.

    "Did the cases close within the bounds of the law? Siddaramaiah's policy of appeasement will undoubtedly come back to haunt him shortly. The BJP will lawfully handle whatever matters that need to be handled. All of these efforts have a clear political motivation. Why would they do all this now that we are about to open the Ayodhya Ram Mandir? "Why this provocation?" Gowda enquired.

    Ashwath Narayan, the leader of the BJP, further charged that the administration was playing "appeasement politics".

    He stated, "The state government is accountable, they cannot misappropriate the funds, and they cannot be discriminatory. 

    The public has been asking for this. Misuse of finances or appeasement politics is unacceptable. The public is dissatisfied with vote-bank politics alone. We are criticizing the Congress government in Karnataka for its entire policy because they are attempting to politicize the situation. They ought to understand now that they should be inclusive, respect all groups, and be nationalists.

    The protests were referred to as "politically motivated" by Congress leader BK Hariprasad in retaliation against the BJP. In addition, he claimed that the demonstrators are "trying to replicate" the 2002 Gujarat riots that resulted from the Godhra train burning controversy.

    "What kind of agitation this is, please make me understand. If you observe the Supreme Court hearing, you can easily discern that this agitation is politically motivated; you cannot categorise this as a genuine protest. There is no history of demolishing one religious place to construct another. Let me be clear, this is not a religious program; don't exaggerate it," Hariprasad said.

    He added, "In Karnataka, the government must take all precautions. At the same time back in Gujarat, Kar Sevaks were burnt alive in Godhra. They are attempting to replicate that incident in Karnataka. We must not allow such untoward incidents to happen here. We need to provide ample security to all those who visit Ayodhya; we cannot afford another Godhra incident in Karnataka."

    The 16th-century mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, known as Babri Masjid was destroyed on December 6, 1992, by radical Hindu right-wingers. It is said that this is the birthplace of the well-known Hindu deity Lord Ram.