Campaign against hate speech urges EC to take action against KS Eshwarappa

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: As the recently concluded election in Karnataka saw a political slugfest reaching unprecedented heights, Campaign Against Hate Speech, a group of activists, parents, lawyers, researchers, media persons and academicians, on Friday urged the Election Commission to take action against senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa for making a hate speech against the Muslim community during an election campaign.

On 25 April 2023, the leader allegedly said the party doesn’t need a single vote of the Muslim community, adding that Congress leaders will not help our Hindu girls upon being harassed by Muslim boys.

The minister also claimed that the public should not worry about the infrastructure of the State but must worry about religion and culture. Mentioning the hate speech, the group alleged that it was a violation of the law, disrupting communal harmony, and inciting hatred and discrimination. “His statements amount to offences under sections 153A, 153B, 295A, 298, and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860,” said the group.

They also alleged that his statements not only pitted Hindus against Muslims, but were also seeking to create ill will and hatred against Muslims, ostracise them, polarise them, and promote enmity against them. The leaders’ statement was a direct attack on the core values of the Indian constitution, they added.

Saying that no action against him will undermine the secular fabric of the Indian Constitution and strain the quality of equality enshrined in Article 14, the group urged the EC and Karnataka DGP for swift action to ensure that religious communities are not subjected to hate speech and denial of citizenship.