Karnataka to form committee to control hate speeches: CM Bommai

Hubballi: With a spate of communal flare-ups recurring in Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said the State would form a committee to control hate speeches following instructions of the Supreme Court.

“We will form a committee to control hate speeches following the instructions of the Supreme Court,” Bommai told reporters on Thursday at the Hubballi airport.

The Chief Minister said such speeches are on the rise across the country, especially on social media platforms. The Supreme Court orders would be followed and a committee would be constituted to control hate speeches, he said.

The State witnessed tension starting from January when the Hijab row began. It was followed by the murder of Harsha, a Hindu activist, in Shivamogga.

The right-wing outfits also ran a campaign against halal cut meat and pushed for Jhatka meat during the ‘Hosa Tadaku’, a festival to eat non-vegetarian food a day after Ugadi.

Further, there was a boycott of Hindu fishermen by the Muslims in Udupi protesting against the rally by the right-wing members demanding a ban on cow slaughter.

The incident resulted in a boycott of Muslim traders around Hindu temples.

In the meantime, violence broke out in Hubballi over a social media post showing a saffron flag on a mosque. Police had arrested over 130 people, including a cleric Waseem Pathan.