Hindu activists allege they are being targeted by police with FIRs, phone calls in old cases

BENGALURU: With the newly-formed Congress announcing that they will roll back some of the laws implemented by the previous BJP government, leaders of Hindu groups have expressed apprehension that the police may reopen some old cases against them.

The police department is learnt to be looking into those cases where leaders of Hindu groups were involved in anti-Muslim campaigns across the state over various issues. Some of them have even got calls from the police to join the investigation and record their statements.

Several Hindu groups had taken taken up campaigns against halal, boycott of Muslim traders, which made international news during the tenure of the previous BJP government. Some cases were registered in different parts of the state, but were not actively pursued. Now, with the Congress government in place, the police are dusting the files on those cases.

Mohan Gowda of the Hindu Jagaran Vedike said, “The police have been calling up Hindu activists and filing FIRs in old cases. We don’t know whether they are trying to please someone in the new Congress government. The government should not be biased and Hindu activists should not be targeted”.

“Hindu activists have worked to save cows from slaughter, protection of temples, forced conversion, love jihad, etc., within the framework of the laws. With the change in government, we have been getting calls from police stations. We don’t know whether they are trying to do this to appease someone. We will unitedly fight this”, said another Hindu activist.