India: Bajrang Dal wanted an Ayodhya in the south | Gauri Lankesh

In 2003, Hindu groups laid siege to a dargah in Karnataka, calling it the Ayodhya of South. Here is what Gauri Lankesh wrote about it on 3 December 2003 in Lankesh Patrike.

Excerpted from a recent book titled ‘The Way I See It: A Gauri Lankesh Reader’ (Navayana and DC Books).

Such amazing things happened over the two weeks when we organized communal harmony meetings at Chikmagalur and Bababudangiri, and called upon people to stop Karnataka from becoming another Gujarat and Bababudangiri from being turned into Ayodhya by the saffron brigade… I am confused about where to even begin! [. . .]

https://theprint.in/2017/12/06/gauri-lankesh-bajrang-dal-wanted-ayodhya/

Karnataka - Bababudangiri: ‘State denies existence of mosque, records belie it’

From: The Hindu

Chikmagalur, February 24, 2013

‘State denies existence of mosque, records belie it’

A view of Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swami Dargah at Bababudangiri near Chikmagalur. File Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.
The Hindu

Shrine administrator calls government’s claim a bundle of lies

Even as the State government has filed its response to a petition filed in the Supreme Court, denying the existence of a mosque near the disputed cave shrine of Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swami Dargah in Bababudangiri Hills in Chikmagalur, the government records in possession of Syed Ghouse Mohiyuddin Shakhadri, hereditary administrator of the shrine, challenge the government’s claim.

The government, had argued in court that there was no such mosque and what existed was only a prayer hall. Mr. Shakhadri has termed the State’s version “a bundle of lies” and shared copies of official documents with The Hindu which referred to a structure on the shrine premises as “mosque”.

In 1950, the then Deputy Commissioner of Chikmagalur K. Mohamed Ahmed, in his official letter (dated June 5, 1950) addressed to S. Ananda Rao, Amaldar of Chikmagalur, asked him to send immediately the records pertaining to renovation of the “masjid” at Dattatreya Peetha in Bababudangiri Hills. “The letter clearly refers to the structure on the shrine’s premises as ‘masjid’, not prayer hall as stated by the State government,” Mr. Shakhadri said.

He also gave a copy of another record, dated to 1932, obtained from archives of the Archaeological Survey of India. The statement, which carries contents of an inscription of 1830 installed by his ancestors, clearly refers to the place of the inscription as “on a wall near the masjid” in Bababudangiri Hills. “These are the records obtained by the State government. Now it wants to mislead the court by giving false information,” he alleged.

Mr. Shakhadri said the district administration, in its meeting proceedings, also said the structure was a masjid. In a management committee of the shrine held on February 6, 2001, the then Chikmagalur tahsildar submitted details of the cave shrine.

In that list, the tahsildar records “within the cave building there is a mosque”. He also records the dimension of the structure as 78’x40’. Further, he said the State Electricity Board’s records pertaining to electrification of the premises done in 1980 also refer to a structure on the premises as “dargah mosque”.

Misleading

The State government, in its response, also said the hereditary administrator was not interested in taking part in Urs. Mr. Shakhadri found this statement “misleading”. He took part in the Urs held in 2012.

However, he did not take part in the Urs conducted by the administration in 2011 as he wanted to hold the same on dates convenient to him. The police took him into custody the day he wanted to conduct Urs that year.

His request

“My demand has been that they should allow me to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine and allow me to put green cloth on the tomb. I don’t know which law restricts a person from visiting the graves of his forefathers,” he said.

Karnataka: VHP and Bajrang Dal continue to target Bababudangiri shrine and violence follows

[see links to reports from The Hindu from December 2011.]

Ban orders in Aldur after clashes
Correspondent | CHIKMAGALUR, December 15, 2011
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Cr.PC have been imposed in Aldur in Chikmagalur district which witnessed clashes between activists of the Bajrang Dal and the Dalit Sangarsh Samiti on Tu... »
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2716215.ece

Bajrang Dal and DSS activists clash
Staff Correspondent | Hassan, December 14, 2011
Five people, including an assistant sub-inspector and a journalist, were injured in a clash between members of the Bajrang Dal and the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti at Aldur in Chikmagalur taluk on Tuesda... »
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2713383.ece

Datta Jayanti begins at Bababudangiri
Correspondent | CHIKMAGALUR, December 9, 2011
The three-day Datta Jayanti celebrations organised by the Viswa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal began on Thursday with more than 700 women from various parts of the State participating
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2699996.ece

Karnataka govt. machinery is used by Sangh parivar to violate the supreme court order to maintain status quo on the Bababudan giri hills

Deccan Herald

Photo Albums » Dec 2 2009 »

Controversial move View full size

Chikmagalur Tahsildar Veena supervising placing of ‘padukas’ in front of Inam Dattatreya Peetha for public ‘darshan’ outside the cave shrine atop Baba Budangiri hills in Chikmagalur district on Tuesday. The State government had directed the deputy commissioner to place padukas for public darshan. This move is likely to trigger another controversy.

DH Photo

o o o

Deccan Herald

‘DC has been made scapegoat by the govt’
Vedike flays govt move to provide Paduka darshan
Chikmagalur, Dec 2, DHNS:

''Komu Souharda Vedike strongly condemns the district administration’s act of providing an opportunity for pooja and darshan of Datta Padukas, keeping them in a shed outside the cave,'' said Vedike State General Secretary K L Ashok.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, he said “the district administration has violated the Supreme Court’s order dated December 1, 2008. The BJP government has misused its power to pressurise the district administration to violate the court order.”

“When ‘bhoomipooja’ was performed for the repair of the cave, MP D V Sadanand Gowda, District-in-Charge Minister K S Eshwarappa and MLA C T Ravi had secretly taken the Datta idol near the Darga and performed pooja, which was a breach of the court order,” Ashok said. “Though there is no scope for any religious rituals other than Uroos in Bababudangiri, the Sangh Pariwar has committed contempt of court by celebrating Datta Jayanthi, and performing Ganahoma, Satyanarayanapooja and Datta Homa,” he criticised.

Contempt of court complaint will be filed against D V Sadanand Gowda and C T Ravi. Awareness will be created state-wide against the unconstitutional acts of the government, he announced.

Scapegoat

Vedike Assistant Secretary Gouse Mohiuddin said the State government has made the Deputy Commissioner scapegoat who cleverly handled the entire episode. The government thinks that the officials need not abide by the law of the land but should obey the principles of Sangh Pariwar, he said.

“The Komu Souharda Vedike will further intensify its struggle from next year. It will create obstacles for the programmes of the Pariwar. It will launch a movement to dethrone the BJP,” he informed.

Popular Front of India District Secretary Fairoz said the Sangh Pariwar is trying to convert Bababudangiri, a symbol of religious harmony, into Ayodhya of South.

Congress’ demand

District Congress President M L Murthy has urged that investigation should be conducted into the issue, i.e., who had pressurised the DC regarding Datta Padukas. “Whoever may be the official or the minister who pressurised the DC, should be brought down from power,” he said.

‘Include Mujawar in panel’

Our stand is not that the cave should not be repaired. Such desire may be there with ‘foolish’ MLA C T Ravi. We naturally had doubts regarding the BJP government that had assigned the work of repairing the cave to a company that actually evicts buildings, and that violated the court orders from the very beginning. Our demand is that the repair supervision should be assigned to a committee that includes Mujawar also. K L Ashok, State General Secretary, Komu Souharda Vedike

o o o

The Hindu
4 December 2009

Court order violated, says CPI(M)

Bangalore: The State Government has violated the order of the Supreme Court by allowing performance of additional rituals at Bababudangiri in Chikmagalur district, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) alleged on Wednesday. In a statement issued here, party’s State committee secretary V.J.K. Nair said the State Government had shown disregard to the law of the land by allowing the persons belonging to Sangh Parivar to perform such rituals. He also alleged that these acts of the Government amounted to encouraging communal forces while demanding action against those responsible for conduct of rituals in violation of court order. — Staff Reporter

Karnataka govt begins work to alter architecture of the Sufi Shrine

Frontline

Frontline, Volume 26 - Issue 21 :: Oct. 10-23, 2009

THE STATES

Communal work

VIKHAR AHMED SAYEED
in Chickmagalur

Restoration work begins at Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah, violating a court order.

K. BHAGYA PRAKASH

The Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah at Bababudangiri on September 26, when the restoration work was on. The collapsed cave is covered with metal sheets.

CONSTRUCTION work has begun at the contested shrine of Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah to restore a part of the cave that collapsed in June 2008. The shrine is located on the Inam Dattatreya hill, close to Chickmagalur town in western Karnataka. The work began on September 8 after “bhoomi puja” at the venue by senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders of the State in the presence of district officials. Members of the Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike (KKSV; Karnataka Communal Harmony Forum), a State-wide forum of activists who have been leading the movement against the Sangh Parivar’s attempts to convert the syncretic shrine into an exclusive Hindu place of worship, have criticised the district administration for its lapses with regard to the restoration work. One of the allegations is that it violated a 2008 stay order from the Supreme Court.

Members of the KKSV point out that the restoration work will fundamentally alter the architecture of the shrine. Opposition leaders have criticised the State government for allowing the construction work to begin. In a press conference, H.D. Deve Gowda, the national president of the Janata Dal (Secular), accused the BJP government and the district administration of Chickmagalur of showing disrespect to the judiciary.

The Supreme Court on December 1, 2008, ordered a stay on any new activities at the shrine. The order said: “Status quo to be maintained in terms of order dated 25.2.1989 passed by the Commissioner for Religious & Charitable Endowments in Karnataka.” If this ruling is interpreted correctly, all the restoration activity, starting from the “bhoomi puja”, is illegal. Present at the “bhoomi puja” were D.V. Sadananda Gowda, the State president of the BJP; K.S. Eshwarappa, the State Minister of Energy; and C.T. Ravi, the BJP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Chickmagalur. It was performed just outside the cave.

When this correspondent tried to visit the premises of the shrine, the Deputy Commissioner of Chickmagalur, R. Narayanswamy, flatly refused permission. He said the area was a contested one and no one could be given the permission to visit it. How then did he allow senior BJP leaders, who have no stake in the management or administration of the shrine, to perform a “bhoomi puja” on the shrine premises? “It is our tradition to perform a ‘bhoomi puja’ before any new construction work is undertaken,” said Narayanswamy. C.T. Ravi made a similar statement in a conversation with Frontline.

The KKSV objects to the restoration activity because any change in the architecture of the shrine will alter the status quo and affect the spiritual ethos of the area. The proposed plan involves the erection of 52 pillars that will support a massive roof for the entire premises. Officials in the district administration say that this has been done to provide protection for the restored cave because the area is prone to heavy rainfall, and humidity is very high around the year.

The KKSV has also objected to the fact that no religious leaders, particularly from among the Sufi followers of the shrine, were consulted while envisaging such a massive restoration project. Even the Shah Khadri (chief priest) of the shrine, Syed Ghouse Mohiyudden, who in a 2000 district administration order was designated as the person to manage the religious rituals, was not consulted or shown the blueprint of the proposed construction. “The district administration refused to consult me or even inform me about the proposed restoration work,” he said.

The work has been allotted to a Bangalore-based private limited company called Binyas Contech, which describes itself as “structural rehabilitation engineers”. According to documents obtained under the Right to Information Act and which are in the possession of Frontline, Binyas was formed only in 2002. Its expertise is in demolition work and it has not been involved so far in any major construction or restoration work. The contract was awarded without a tender being floated. The recommendation was made by the Torsteel Research Foundation of India (TRFI) and the Geological Survey of India, the consultants for the project. The district administration had requested exemption from the Karnataka Transparency Act, 2003, for the process of choosing a company for the restoration work.

The haste with which the district administration has gone ahead and begun the construction is intriguing. There is speculation that it wants the work completed before Datta Jayanthi, a religious event held in December every year on the shrine premises, so that the restored structure gets the approval of Hindutva forces in the State and achieves legitimacy among devout Hindus.

Narayanswamy denied that there was any basis for any of these allegations. He said that the restoration work was unique and no company in India had been involved in the kind of engineering work that restoring a cave involved. “Three companies were shortlisted for the restoration work, which is estimated to cost Rs.2.09 crore by the TRFI, but two of these companies are Mumbai-based. Binyas was chosen as it is based in Bangalore,” he said.

The picturesque hills surrounding Chickmagalur town are enveloped in a misty haze for most of the year. Verdant coffee plantations, interspersed with sturdy silver oaks, surround the narrow and steep road of 30 kilometres that leads up to the cave-shrine from Chickmagalur. No one is allowed within several hundred metres of the cave. Zinc sheets cover the cave site, but thousands of devotees visit the area every day.

The trouble first started in these beautiful hills, scattered with religious ruins – both Hindu and Muslim – in the 1970s after the formation of the Karnataka State Board of Wakfs, which tried to extend its control over the shrine. The Shah Khadri resented the move. The shrine’s administration was governed by the Muzrai Department, which oversees the administration of temples. (It is an ode to the syncretic tradition of the shrine that it has traditionally been managed by a Muslim; its administration came under the Muzrai Department from the time of the Mysore maharajas.)

The shrine is believed to date back to the 11th century when a Muslim saint with miraculous powers, Dada Hayath Qalandar, is supposed to have first visited the area. While there are no written records about his visit, the legend lives on strongly in the minds of the thousands of devotees who visit the shrine from across the country.

Some others believe that the cave-shrine was the abode of Dattatreya, the incarnation of the divine trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. But there was no conflict between worshippers because Dada Hayath and Dattatreya were believed to be one and the same person. Bababudan, whose real name was Jamal Ahmed Maghribi and after whom the hills have been named, was a 15th or 16th century Yemeni saint who is said to have first brought coffee to the hills. “He settled in the shrine and his descendants lived on heading the administrative and religious affairs of the shrine,” said the current Shah Khadri.

Written records about the shrine began to be available after this, and it is usually referred to as Bababudan Dargah or the Datta Peetha. There is a reference to this shrine in the Imperial Gazetteer of 1887. Historical documents show that the Shah Khadri of the shrine was recognised by the Wodeyars of Mysore to be the administrator of the shrine. Yoginder Sikand, a scholar of South Asian Islam, has written several articles on the issue and has cited several Muslim and Hindu practices that make the shrine syncretic.

The Wakf Board’s attempt to take over the shrine led to competing claims on its status. The matter was first settled by the Chickmagalur District Court, which, in its judgment in 1980, said that the shrine belonged to both Hindus and Muslims and that it should be governed by the Muzrai Department. A series of legal battles took the issue to the High Court, which gave the Commissioner of Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments a brief to codify the rituals practised in the shrine before 1989.

His report describes the practices prevalent at the shrine, also mentioning some practices that were prevalent in Hindu temples, such as the breaking of coconuts. The only event involving a large gathering, as recorded by the Commissioner, was the urs (death anniversary) of Bababudan, held over three days in March. The Shah Khadri was recognised as someone who could appoint the daily priests and, indirectly, administer the shrine.

In the early 1990s, Datta Jayanthi was a small affair. However, after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, efforts to make a grand affair out of the event began to gather momentum. In the late 1990s, a Datta Mala event was introduced and, along with Datta Jayanthi, it began to attract considerable media attention. As these new rituals gained some public legitimacy, the Bababudan Dargah increasingly began to be known as the Datta Peetha, a process that involved considerable erasure of public memory. While a section of worshippers had always referred to the Dargah as the Datta Peetha, it did not connote, in any way, an exclusively Hindu temple.

After the death of the Shah Khadri in 1999, his son, who had clearly been nominated to the hereditary post several years earlier, was made a salaried employee of the Muzrai Department who could manage only the religious rituals. The administration of the shrine would be under the district administration. Thus, over the past couple of decades, the nature of the shrine has been completely changed under gradual pressure from the Sangh Parivar.

Members of the Sangh Parivar claim that the actual Bababudan Dargah is situated some 3 km away, which can be reached only by hard trekking. It is a place which local residents call Jannat Nagar. “To call the Datta Peetha a disputed shrine is wrong. The real Bababudan Dargah is situated in Nagenhalli village [Jannat Nagar],” said C.T. Ravi. A visit to the area shows that there are some graves of Muslim saints in this gorgeous valley surrounded by green hills and forests, but none of the local Muslims has known the place as the shrine of Bababudan.

The current Shah Khadri is in a difficult position. Apart from losing out on his hereditary right to manage the shrine, he has been deserted by local Muslims because of the increasing influence of a scripturalist understanding of Islam which does not give space to sacerdotalism. He is hemmed in by an increasingly aggressive administration, which over the past decade has demolished several ancestral properties near the cave-shrine. He is not consulted by the district administration on any proposed changes, such as the restoration project.

The KKSV has filed an urgent application in the Supreme Court, pointing out that construction work is already in full swing. It hopes that the court, recognising the various lapses of the district administration, will pass an interim order stopping the construction work.

Sadananda Gowda has no regrets about having participated in the “bhoomi puja” and has announced to the media that the idol of Dattatreya will be a part of the restored shrine. The political implications of this move are tremendous as the BJP has used this issue to mobilise serious support for itself in the 1990s and in the early part of this decade in Karnataka. Several political leaders of the BJP in the State, including C.T. Ravi, owe their rise to the way in which this issue was communalised.

In an aggressive speech in 2002, BJP leader Ananth Kumar referred to the shrine as the “Ayodhya of the South”.

Bababudangiri, Karnataka’s communal smoke pit, is simmering again

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 6, Issue 38, Dated September 26, 2009
CURRENT AFFAIRS
karnataka

The Quest For A New Ayodhya

Bababudangiri, Karnataka’s communal smoke pit, is simmering again as restoration work at the site smacks of a right-wing agenda. SANJANA reports

ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2009, a group of a hundred gathered atop Bababudangiri hill, 30 km from Chikmaglur town in Karnataka. They installed a deity on a makeshift structure and performed a puja. Vows were taken towards making the place a religious centre for Hindus. The repair and restoration work of Sri Guru Datta Baba Budan Dargah at Bababudangiri had been formally inaugurated. Top state BJP leaders such as Minister for Energy KS Eshwarappa, state unit president DV Sadananda Gowda and Chikmaglur MLA CT Ravi led the proceedings.

In a country marked by ritual ceremonies, an official programme like this would ordinarily have received no attention. But this was greeted by loud condemnation from Opposition political parties and secular organisations. The puja had violated a Supreme Court stay order in an ongoing lawsuit. And the vow to establish a Hindu religious shrine at the site negated the rich syncretic tradition of the place.

HOW THE HILL BEGAN TO BURN

1974
The shrine dear to Hindus
and Muslims is transferred to the Wakf Board. In 1977, a district court rules that it is a syncretic shrine

1991
Karnataka High Court
and Supreme Court uphold the syncretic nature of the shrine. It has a Muslim priest as well as Hindu practices

1998
Bajrang Dal and VHP
declare they will “liberate” the shrine from Muslims on December 3. Rath yatras are organised across the state

1999
A Dattatreya Swami idol
is installed. This violates a court order that only rituals practised prior to 1975 can be performed at the shrine

2002
BJP MP Ananth Kumar
says ‘Bababudangiri would be made the Ayodhya of the South’. 10,000 people gather to protest this

2004
Government bans the
Sangh Parivar’s ‘shobha yatra’. In 2005, it bans both the Datta Jayanthi puja and the 3-day sufi Urs

2008
Karnataka High Court
says practices at the shrine should be reevaluated. In December, the Supreme Court orders status quo

The Baba Budan Dargah, as it is popularly known, has been the site of a protracted battle in Karnataka for the last 10 years. Right-wing organisations like the Bajrang Dal, VHP and BJP have declared their intentions to “liberate” the Dargah and build a temple to the Hindu saint Dattatreya instead at the spot. At a public gathering in Chikmaglur in 2002, BJP MP Ananth Kumar famously declared that the party was committed to ensuring that “Bababudangiri would be the Ayodhya of the South.”

image
Slow fuse The Bababudangiri dargah
Photo: S RADHAKRISHNA
image

image
VHP and Bajrang Dal supporters at the Dattamala Abhiyana
Photo: KPN

image
BJP state president DV Sadananda Gowda at the installation of Sri Dattatreya Swami idol at the dargah

Historically, the Dargah has been revered by both sufi followers as well as Hindus. Legend has it that Baba Budan, a disciple of the famous sufi saint Dada Hayat Mirkalandar, chose the hill as a site for his monastery and lived there for years. Hindus regard the place as a resting spot of Dattatreya Swami. The caves, three hundred steps down, hold both the tombs of Baba Budan’s disciples and the footwear of Dattatreya Swami.

In June 2008, a portion of the cave collapsed and the district administration sealed the shrine. The repair work therefore is long overdue. Despite this, vociferous objections are being raised.

Last December, hearing a case pertaining to the religious practices to be followed at the shrine, the Supreme Court had issued orders to maintain status quo at the shrine as on February 1989. Says 76-year-old Fairoz Khan, a staunch follower of Baba Budan, “The cave badly needs repair. But the government has started the project without sharing details with anyone. Has it forgotten the shrine is disputed? Forget seeking our consent, why wasn’t the Supreme Court apprised of the matter?”

Ashok KL, secretary of the Karnataka Communal Harmony Forum and one of the petitioners in the case, also maintains the ongoing work is a violation of the court order. “We believe this is a step towards changing the nature of religious practices followed at the shrine,” he says.

Documents obtained under the Right to Information Act (RTI) endorse what Ashok is saying. A project report submitted by the Torsteel Research Foundation contains a blueprint of the reconstructed shrine as envisaged by the consultants. In one instance, it recommends the construction of 52 pillars and a massive cover over the area where the tombs are located. For the sufi followers who throng the shrine, this is sacrosanct. Any change without consent is bound to attract objections. Says Khan, “If I go by the history of the government’s actions and their complete disregard for sufi practices, then I am bound to view this with suspicion. Why not take us into confidence?”

The caves hold the tombs of Baba Budan’s disciples and the footwear of Dattatreya

In a damning endorsement of this apprehension, BJP state president DV Sadananda Gowda told TEHELKA that the idol of Dattatreya Swami placed at the shrine during the inaugural puja would be part of the shrine after the restoration as well. Ask him if this counts as a violation of the Supreme Court stay order, since no idol was present at the shrine in 1989, and he says adamantly, “We will fight this within the courts and outside it.” Gowda, who participated in the inaugural puja, believes the September 8 ceremony was in accordance with Hindu religious customs and cannot be a violation of any legal authority.

The RTI documents, however, reflect other problems. The restoration project valued at Rs 2.09 crore has been awarded to a company that seems to have little expertise in repair and restoration of ancient structures. Waiving the tendering process mandated under the Karnataka Transparency Act, the contract was awarded to Binyas Contech Pvt Ltd, a Bellary-based company.

To prove that Binyas could meet the financial requirements, a letter signed by the Chikmaglur deputy commissioner lists the total value of projects handled by the company in the last six years. The figures reflect a sharp increase in the value of government projects bagged by the company, coinciding with the BJP government’s rise to power. P Shashidhar, general manager at Binyas, says, “What does our revenue have to do with the government?” – a statement belied by the fact that all the Binyas projects listed have been contracted out by the government.

Right-wing groups intend to ‘liberate’ the dargah and build a temple instead

Binyas was upheld as a company with expertise in demolition and repair of old structures — a fact that the Binyas general manager himself does not assert. “We can’t say we are the only company with such expertise in Karnataka. There are other companies too,” he told TEHELKA. Asked to list out restoration of ancient structures the company has completed in the past, he mentions repair of a collapsed bridge in Hampi. The bridge was 10 years old and Hampi is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.

But the most disturbing fact is the manner in which the inaugural programme was done. As Ashok says, “The complicity of the government in furthering the agenda of the Bajrang Dal and VHP is worrying. When the Supreme Court’s orders were laid to waste, ministers, elected representatives, district officials and the superintendent of police were present. Where does that leave us?”

WRITER’S EMAIL
sanjana@tehelka.com

Karanataka High Court rules for codfication of rituals

(Times of India)

Court upholds move to codify rituals
5 Aug 2008, 0252 hrs IST,TNN

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Monday upheld the order of a single judge on codification of rituals in the cave shrine at Dattatreya Peetha in Bababudangiri of Chikmagalur district and directed the commissioner (religious charities) to undertake the codification process at the earliest after hearing all parties concerned.

Single judge H G V Ramesh had observed in his order of Feb 14, 2007 that the commissioner should consider the grievances of the petitioners as to the practice which was prevailing in Datta Peetha from time immemorial and to recognize the rights regarding the offering of puja to the paduka of Swami Dattatreya as per the religious custom of Hindu devotees.

The court then directed the commissioner to consider reports submitted by the assistant commissioner and take steps to appoint archakas if needed. In his final decision, the judge also directed the official to allow Hindu religious customs and ceremonies as practised prior to June 1975 and also prior to anointing of Shakhadris in the Hyder Ali period.

While dismissing the government contention, the division Bench headed by acting Chief Justice Deepak observed on Monday, "No case for interference is made out. After all, nothing has been decided by the single Bench on merits except the matter has been remitted back to decide the issue after having given opportunity to both sides. The commissioner (religious charities) shall carry out the directive as contemplated in the single Bench's order at an early date. Appeal dismissed."

In his 2007 order, Justice Ramesh cancelled subsequent orders passed by authorities and ordered recodification of the rituals. But the then government headed by H D Kumaraswamy appealed.

While the government contended there was no need for the single Bench to pass this order as there was a February 25, 1989 order of the commissioner and it was not challenged by anyone, Guru Dattattreya Peetha Samvardhana Samiti, a petitioner, contended that that order left out some Hindu rituals, particularly according special respect to Mathadhipathis , provision for offerings, appointment of archakas and some Hindu rituals.

Several Shakhadris had also moved court challenging codification of rituals as interference. While codifying the rituals in 1989, the muzrai commissioner specified that the mujavar in the cave shrine alone can light the nandadeepa and incense sticks and offer flowers to the Datta silver sandal.

o o o


The Hindu - August 5, 2008

Court quashes State appeal on Datta Peetha

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Monday, dismissed the State Government’s appeal relating to the contentious Shree Guru Datta Peetha in Bababudan Giri in Chikmagalur district.

A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Deepak Verma and Justice A.S. Bopanna passed the order while upholding a single judge order of February 14, 2007. The single judge had allowed a petition by the Guru Datta Peetha Devasthana Samvardhane Trust and directed the Commissioner of Religious and Charitable Endowments to hear all parties, including the trust, before passing orders on religious practices being followed at the Shree Guru Datta Peetha before 1978. The trust, in its petition, had moved the High Court against a 1989 order of the Commissioner of Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowment. The trust termed as unilateral the 1989 order and said that the Commissioner had passed the order after hearing the peer of the shrine.

The single judge had asked the Endowment Commissioner to hold an inquiry and hear the public, the members of the trust and devotees before passing an order according to the provisions of the Endowment Act. He had remanded the matter back to the Commissioner and asked him to pass appropriate orders. The State had urged the Bench to set aside the orders of the single judge. The High Court order will now afford an opportunity to the trust and other devotees of Bababudan Giri to place their views before the Endowment Commissioner. The commission would have to hold an inquiry and consider the views of all parties before coming to a decision on religious practices being followed at the shrine prior to 1978.

Karnataka: Dargah forgotten, locals concerned about land rights, water & coffee

Indian Express, Monday, May 12, 2008

APURVA

Chikamagalur, May 11 : One of the flashpoints during the 2004 Assembly elections involved a 200-year-old dargah located in Chikamagalur district’s Baba Budan Hills. Looking for a foothold in the south, the BJP used the communal tension surrounding it to its advantage in defeating the Congress candidate from the seat. It was a major win, given that the candidate was a Muslim leader and a three-time winner in an area where the Muslims enjoyed a 20 per cent vote share.

This election, nobody is talking of the Baba Budan Dargah Inam Dattatreya Peeta here, including the BJP. It’s local issues which occupy voters’ minds, including rights of tribals in the Kudremukh reserved forests, drinking water and a failing coffee market.

The BJP’s silence, says the Congress, is understandable. “After winning, they have not done anything about the dargah, and that works to our advantage,” says Congress candidate K B Mallikarjuna.

While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had invited a complaint from the district administration for his provocative speeches on the dargah in 2004, BJP leader Ananth Kumar had promised to make it another Ayodhya. However, on Sunday, while touring Chikamagalur, Kumar — the BJP’s Bangalore MP — made no mention of the shrine.

“Two saints, one a sufi and the other a vedic, settled in the dargah 200 years ago, and since then both Hindus and Muslims visit the shrine. However, the BJP wanted to make it a Hindu shrine and devoted their 2004 campaign to this,” says Vasu H V of the Karnataka Communal Harmony Forum.

In the streets of Chikamagalur, located 270 km from Bangalore, the dargah is a forgotten issue. Locals are more concerned about declining demand hitting the coffee plantations, and the fact that nobody is discussing it.

Chikamagalur district also has a strong Naxal presence, and recently tribal rights in the nearby Kudremukh reserved forests have emerged as a major issue. However, again, all parties remain mum on it.

Sidlingappa T G, a local shopkeeper, says: “All the candidates only talk about the state and country and terrorism and not about drinking water or land rights. Last time they created a spark with the dargah and now they refuse to even acknowledge it.”

It’s not surprising that five days before Chikamagalur votes, in the second phase, the important hub for coffee and education is largely undecided about who to vote for.

Sangh Parivar's Dattamala campaign in Karnataka opposed

Deccan Herald, 17/10/07

Datta Mala campaign: 'Don't permit Sangh Parivar plans'

Various political parties and organisations have demanded that the Dattamala campaign and related programmes being planned by the Sangh Parivar should not be given permission. They also assured to support the district administration for the steps taken to ensure law and order.

The issue was raised at the meeting organised at the DC’s office on Tuesday to collect public opinion with regard to the Sankeertana Yatra.

Congress leader Dr D L Vijay Kumar, BSP district president Radhakrishna and Yusuf Haji expressed opinion that permission must not be given for organising new programmes.

BJP district spokesperson Varasiddhi Venugopal said former minister D B Chandregowda had participated in the Dattajayanthi celebrations organised at Datta peeta last year. Moreover, the district administration had released funds for Dattamala pooja. This year too, for the Sankeertana Yatra, the district administration must extend co-operation, he added.

CPI district secretary Amjad said the Dattapeeta issue still exists as the political parties have failed to use their political will. A permanent solution must be found out for the issue, he suggested.

Ranganath of Bajrang Dal said the Yatra being organised by the Bajrang Dal without having any party affiliations must be given necessary permission. Political parties must stop giving statements in order to play politics, he added. Ruben Moses said the district administration must take necessary steps to ensure peace along with giving permission for the yatra.

Congress city president Venkatesh Naida said a clear decision has to be taken on the issue. Congress district spokesperson M L Moorthi said Bababudangiri must be preserved as a secular place and it is not desirable to give a new face to it. Sangh Parivar and Muslim leaders must change their stand and take steps to dispel the atmosphere of fear, he advised. Praveen said it is not right to create confusion by giving different statements.

The Bajrang Dal has decided to take out a peaceful procession. He also hoped that the district administration will give the required support.

JD(S) district general secretary H H Devraj said people from other districts must not give statements which disrupts peace. The administration must take steps to conduct the programme in an orderly manner and the party will support the administration in this move, he added.

G K Basavaraj of BSP said the programme should not be organised in the city, while K Mohan said a permanent solution with regard to the Dattapeeta issue must be arrived at. Shareef demanded that an atmosphere of fear is building up in the city and suitable steps must be taken.

BJP general secretary C H Lokesh said 79 MLAs from the State will take part in the Dattamala campaign and peace will be maintained at any cost.

Anil of Bajrang Dal said it is unfortunate that Hindus are forced to seek permission for organising their programmes. Ghous Mohiuddin of Komu Sauharda Vedike said new programmes will not be given permission.
If permission is given for pooja and bhajans, problems can arise, Mohammed Ahmed said. Manjunath, Mallika, Harish and Shivanna gave their suggestions.

PRIORITY TO MAINTAIN PEACE

Deputy Commissioner Naveenraj Singh said the Governor will be submitted a report with regard to the developments taking place in connection with the Dattamal campaign.

Speaking at the peace meeting of various political parties and leaders of various organisations held at DC’s office on Tuesday, he said the secretary of Department of Home has already been submitted a report. Suggestions were given to arrive at a permanent solution for the problem and form a committee.

Suggestions were also given on improving tourism in the region, he informed. Peace should prevail in the district and people should live without any fears. Even people from outside the district must be able to come here without apprehensions.

Moreover politics must be set aside and devotion must exist in everyone’s mind, he felt. If people keep faith in the district administration and join hands with the administration, the imbroglio can be solved. Priority is being given to maintaining a peaceful atmosphere and law and order in the city and district, he added.

CRPF, RAF TO BE DEPLOYED

IGP (western range) A M Prasad said arrangements will be made for the Dattamala campaign which will be held on October 20.

Speaking to presspersons after the meeting held with officers with regard to security arrangements on Tuesday, he said the same number of personnel will be deployed as was done in the last two years. Information with regard to the personnel being deployed will be provided within three days.

CRPF and RAF units will be brought in to ensure peace during the campaign. It is also being ensured that the supreme court order is not flouted and the common man does not suffer, he added. District police chief Vipul was also present.

---

The Hindu, 17/10/07

It is ‘yatra’ for power, not ‘dharma yatra’: Devanuru

MYSORE: Taking serious objection to the “dharma yatra” campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), president of Sarvodaya Karnataka Party and noted writer Devanuru Mahadeva here on Tuesday accused the BJP of misusing caste and religion to meet its political end.

Addressing presspersons, he said that it was not right on part of BJP leaders to link religion with power. “Let them call it a “yatra for power”, but not as “dharama yatra”, he added.

Objecting to the BJP’s propaganda of “reneging of promise”, Mr. Mahadev said that the BJP had no right to term failure of the Janata Dal (Secular) to transfer power as reneging of promise, as agreement reached by the parties “secretly” had nothing to do with the people. “People were not party to the agreement, and they struck a “deal” to come to power. How can they take it to people’s court? he asked. The Janata Dal (Secular) had betrayed the people 20 months ago, when it struck an alliance with the BJP by sacrificing its long cherished secular credentials and it had no moral right to assert its stand now, he added.

Reacting to some Veerashaiva organisations protesting against the Janata Dal (Secular) not transferring power to the BJP, he said that those who have understood Veearashaivism in letter and spirit would not participate in the protest as Veerashaivism was aimed at uniting people, whereas the BJP’s agenda was “dividing the people and society”, he noted.

Working president of Sarvodaya Karnataka K.S. Puttannaih said that the party was in the process of forming secular forces by keeping the BJP, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress at bay. A convention of secular forces would be held in the first week of November and political parties, including the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and other secular political parties and Dalit’s and farmers’ organisations would participate .

---

The Hindu, 16/10/07

Abhiyan opposed by Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike

BANGALORE: Opposing the Dattamala Abhiyan organised by the Sangh Parivar organisations at Bababudangiri in Chikamagalur district from October 20, the Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike has urged the administration to ban the abhiyan. An anti-Dattamala rally has been organised by the vedike at Chikamagalur on Wednesday and State-wide agitation on October 23.

Speaking to presspersons here on Monday, vedike’s State secretary K.L. Ashok said that a delegation comprising vedike members would meet Governor Rameshwar Thakur seeking a ban on the programmes.

He said that neither the Dattamala Abhiyan nor the Nagara Sankertane being organised at Chikamagalur were traditional festivals. He said: “The abhiyan and sankertane would incite communal feelings.” Mr. Ashok said that the Vishwa Hindu Parishath (VHP) and Bajarang Dal were trying to replace the Sufi tradition of Bababudangiri with an artificial celebration that lacks traditional value.

---

The Hindu, 16/10/07

Steps taken to maintain law and order at Bababudangiri: Governor

Religious rights of the people will be protected, says Rameshwar Thakur

D.B. Chandre Gowda seeks ban on the controversial ‘Shoba Yatra’

‘Datta Mala Abhiyan’ to be launched from October 24

BANGALORE: Governor Rameshwar Thakur on Monday said that the State administration would take all steps to protect the religious rights of the people and maintain law and order at the famous Bababudangiri shrine in Chikmagalur district where Datta Jayanthi celebrations would be held in December.

“Necessary and appropriate action will be taken to maintain peace. The matter will be looked into,” Mr. Thakur told presspersons.

Earlier, the former Law and Parliamentary Minister D.B. Chandre Gowda met the Governor at the Vidhana Soudha and submitted a memorandum seeking a ban on the controversial “Shoba Yatra,” which is organised as a precursor to the Datta Jayanthi celebrations.

In 2004 and 2005, the N. Dharam Singh Government did not allow the Shoba Yatra to take place. The Kumaraswamy Government too had banned the yatra in 2006.

Mr. Chandre Gowda told presspersons that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Bajrang Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party activists had decide to launch “Datta Mala Abhiyan” from October 24.

The Sangh Parivar plans to take out the Shoba Yatra in Ckikmagalur would create law and order problem. It was only in recent years that the Shoba Yatra had been organised. Its larger aim is to mobilise people and then take them in a procession all the way to Bababudangiri during the Datta Jayanthi celebrations. A few days ago, BJP MP H.N. Ananth Kumar had given a statement in Chikmagalur that the party would hold the Datta Jayanthi celebrations in a grand manner in December, Mr. Gowda said.

Mr. Gowda alleged that the Sangh Parivar was determined to transform the Bababudangiri shrine, a Sufi dargah that has for centuries been a place of common worship, into a Hindu temple complete with idols and Brahmin priests.

Coastal Karnataka is in the throes of communal fires stoked by the BJP

Outlook
Magazine | Dec 11, 2006





Bajrang Dal activists line up outside Sufi saint Baba Budangiri's dargah in Chikmagalur to perform

Datta Jayanti puja
KARNATAKA: COMMUNAL TURMOIL
A Piercing Conch Blows
Coastal Karnataka is in the throes of communal fires stoked by the BJP

by Sugata Srinivasaraju

Godhra To Mangalore

The Sangh parivar and the BJP play the communal card in Karnataka:

* Liberating the shrine of Sufi saint Baba Budangiri in Chikmagalur and converting it into a place of Hindu pilgrimage is the main plank. The shrine has been billed as the "Ayodhya of the south".
* Campaign launched to project Tipu Sultan as anti-Kannada, anti-Hindu
* The Ramjanmabhoomi issue has been revived successfully in Dakshina Kannada district
* There is a sustained campaign that coastal Karnataka is infested with Muslim terrorists
* Effort on to communalise the constabulary in coastal Karnataka
* 'Proactive' cow protection and moral policing on in sensitive districts

A few years ago, BJP leaders liked to refer to Karnataka as the party's gateway to the south.


Today, with the saffron party in alliance with the JD(S) in power, there is a buzz in the BJP in Bangalore—that the state, like Gujarat, is the Sangh parivar's new laboratory in the south. And for those waiting for a Hindutva surge in Karnataka, December 6 may well turn out to be a red letter day.
It is on that day that the 'prestige' bypoll in Chamundeshwari, where JD(S) and BJP have fielded a joint candidate against S. Siddaramaiah of the Congress, will be decided. It is believed that victory or defeat in this poll will prove crucial for the ruling coalition. If the BJP combine wins, it will be a shot in the arm for the parivar. Other than being the 14th anniversary of the 'fall' of the Babri Masjid, December 6 is also the day when the Datta Jayanti celebrations will get under way at the shrine of Sufi saint Baba Budangiri in Chikmagalur district, an event that has been a source of communal tension.

The BJP and the Sangh's declared objective is to instal an idol of Dattatreya, a local Hindu deity, appoint their own priest and conduct Vedic rites and prayers. The Baba Budangiri shrine has always been a place where both the Sufi saint and Dattatreya are worshipped by both Hindus and Muslims. The Sangh parivar now wants to claim the whole shrine and keep the Muslims out.


The communal riots in Mangalore in October were a rude reminder

The Sangh parivar in Karnataka has been preparing for December 6. The Mangalore communal violence in October, in which two Muslims were killed, is spoken of as a 'big message' to the Muslim community in the state. When Mangalore was burning, BJP minister Nagaraj Shetty, in charge of the district, reiterated how much he idolised Narendra Modi. Yatras by BJP leaders in the Malnad region, western Karnataka, over the last few months have been done with the purpose of "liberating" Baba Budangiri shrine. In 1999, former Union minister H.N. Ananth Kumar had sworn that the shrine would be the Ayodhya of Karnataka. This time around, with the BJP in power in the state, the parivar feels it is within striking distance.

In October, a revered icon in Karnataka, Tipu Sultan, became the target of the Sangh parivar after the BJP education minister, D.H. Shankara Murthy, painted him as an 'anti-Hindu' and 'anti-Kannada' ruler. These statements had come without any provocation, but the print space it consumed in the Kannada press was unprecedented. And the Ram mandir issue has been successfully revived in the communally sensitive Udipi and Dakshina Kannada districts where roadside meetings in towns and villages, sponsored by the Rama Mandira Nirmana Samarthana Samithi, happen almost everyday. "Nothing explosive may happen on December 6, but the very build-up and the hate campaign that we see in every corner of coastal Karnataka and in parts of Malnad is a well-planned strategy to intimidate the minorities," says Anand Kodimbala, a Mangalore college lecturer.

Such a meeting witnessed by this correspondent right outside the deputy commissioner's office in Mangalore on November 27 went like this: It is 4 pm in the evening, children are coming out of three Christian convents down the road (St Ann's, Carmel and Rosario). In the crowd, there are young girls with hijabs (the city has nearly 40 per cent Muslims) and nuns (20-25 per cent are Christians). In the vicinity there is also a dargah. There are more than 50 Mahindra jeeps with saffron flags parked. Traffic has been blocked. About a thousand people are squatting on the road listening to some astonishing demagoguery by pontiffs of local Hindu maths, including the influential Pejawar Vishvesha Teertha Swamiji.

The speeches are, among other things, about their '92 kar seva experience when Babri Masjid fell; the Upanishadic shlokas "found on the bricks" that came falling; Mohammed Afzal's hanging and how they would worship the judge who sentenced him as "Mahatma"; how the dome of the Babri Masjid appeared like the bald pate of then PM, P.V. Narasimha Rao etc. Surprisingly, there is no mention of Sonia Gandhi.

When Outlook asked Mangalore SP B. Dayanand why permission was granted for such a provocative meeting, he pleaded helplessness. "We denied permission for a protest procession. This meeting was only meant to give a memorandum to the DC and therefore we allowed it. We can't stop all meetings, we can only regulate them. We are actually in a Catch 22 situation—if we do not allow these meetings they will take a violent shape," says Dayanand. Almost all MLAs and MPs in coastal Karnataka are from the BJP. D.V. Sadananda Gowda, the state BJP chief, is Mangalore's MP.



An inflammatory Sangh parivar rally in Mangalore in front of the DM’s office





Dakshina Kannada district, in which Mangalore falls, is representative of the communal tension in Karnataka. It is feared that if the situation is allowed to slip any further, it would be the "Godhra of the south". The October communal violence justifies the fear: it was the first time in Karnataka that a constabulary had been accused of being communal. A charge that was treated casually by the state's home minister, M.P. Prakash, who reportedly told a human rights delegation that "you cannot help the presence of such elements in the force".

But the stories going around of the Muslim victims of the riots from Prof Phaniraj and G. Rajashekar, who went round meeting victims and are authors of a history of communal violence in Dakshina Kannada, is disturbing. Hear this one about a family in Ullal, on the outskirts of Mangalore, where the police barged into and allegedly "looted" a number of Muslim homes: "The police did not even have the names of people who they needed to arrest. It is just that Muslims had to be rounded up," say Rajashekar and Phaniraj.

Like it happened in Gujarat, where there was a sustained hate campaign against the Muslim community for more than 15 years before Godhra happened, Dakshina Kannada too has a history of communal violence, which came to the fore first during the riots in December 1998. "We, the people of Udipi and Dakshina Kannada, tend to boast of our accomplishments as highly literate districts, as leaders in the banking and hotel sectors. Now we have one more feather in our caps: we are the districts with the highest rate of violence against minorities, courtesy the Sangh parivar. Simply put: there is one such incident of violence almost every day," say Phaniraj and Rajashekar.

Additional district magistrate A.G.


Bhat, who agrees the situation in the district is volatile, says: "There are three issues around which clashes happen in the district—cattle slaughter, elopement and eve-teasing, and religious conversions and processions." On the day we were in Udipi, there was a case of a Muslim boy being beaten up by Sangh parivar activists for talking to a Hindu girl who was his classmate.

Earlier, there have also been instances of Bajrang Dal activists storming a movie theatre in Puttur with the hope of catching young lovers of different faiths "red-handed". There have been attacks on youngsters taking a stroll on the beach. There have also been brutal murders for the crime of having fallen in love with a person of another faith. "The atmosphere is vitiated, my personal view is that there is a feeling of insecurity among Muslims here," says Bhat.

The cow-protection programme of the Sangh parivar in the district is pursued so seriously that in May 2006 a gang of 10 Bajrang Dal activists assaulted a Brahmin priest in Udipi district, for mediating the sale of cows. Similarly, the Hindu Yuva Sena ensured the Nejaru village gram panchayat cancelled the licence of Kasim Saheb to sell beef. In Adi Udipi, a Muslim father and son were paraded naked for trading in cows. In conversion cases the attack is mostly on the Protestant community.

Strangely, Opposition politicians are silent. Senior Congress leaders like Margaret Alva, Oscar Fernandes, Veerappa Moily and Janardhan Poojary all hail from coastal Karnataka, but they have been mum about the trauma of the minorities. Even during the October riots, they were missing. "The Congress leaders have forfeited the political space to the Sangh parivar," says Rajashekar. When an alliance was forged with the BJP in February 2006, CM H.D. Kumaraswamy had said he was still searching for the meaning of the word "secularism". One can only hope that the communal situation in Dakshina Kannada would offer him some insight.

Action - Alert: Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike activists arrested for fighting communalism in Karnataka

Date: Sat, 02 Dec 2006 19:57:39 +0530
From: Clifton

Friends,

Most of you are aware of the Sangh Parivar’s attempts to destroy the secular fabric in Karnataka by targeting the Baba-Datta shrine on Bababudangiri near Chikmagalur, a shrine that is an example of syncretic traditions in the state, attracting people of different faiths. You are also aware of the role of this present coalition government in supporting and promoting these activities of the Sangh Parivar. Now the government has given permission to the Sangh Parivar to conduct the Shobha Yatra and about 300 activists of the Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike who reached Chikmagalur to protest this have been arrested today
(02.12.2006).

The Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike, which is a coalition of over 200 organizations working since 2002 to establish communal harmony and to fight against the agenda of communalism in Karnataka, has through the years exposed the Sangh Parivar’s farcical claims about the shrine, thwarted their intentions and successfully countered their agenda through its ideology of aggressive secularism.

The Sangh Parivar has been targeting the shrine on Bababudangiri with the sole intention of destroying this tradition in the name of ‘liberating’ the shrine from Muslims. In order to achieve their narrow sectarian goal, they have been creating unwanted disputes, putting up historically untenable and legally unsubstantial arguments. Further, they have introduced previously non-existent religious practices like Datta-Mala Abhiyan, Shobha Yatra and Datta Jayanthi celebrations every year in the months of October, November and December. It is obvious that their main purpose is neither religion nor faith but to target the Muslim community as ‘outsiders’ who are bent on destroying the ‘Hindu’ tradition and culture.

This year, the BJP has aligned with the Janata Dal (S) to form a coalition government which has thus far supported the communal agenda of the Sangh Parivar. Clear evidence of this was visible in the first week of October during the communal violence in and around Mangalore and in Bababudangiri at the time of the Datta Mala Abhiyan. In Bababudangiri, the local BJP MLA, C.T. Ravi led the Sangh Parivar activists in performing rites in the shrine – in clear violation of the High Court’s order.

By contrast activists of the Komu Souharda Vedike were arrested and prevented from peacefully protesting and exposing the communal designs of the present Government. This action of the present governement is reprehensible and reaffirms the communal credentials of the so – called secular JD(S). We are particularly concerned that this particular action of arresting secular activists and preventing peaceful protests bodes ill for the future of democracy in Karnataka

We request you to write / phone / fax / email the Chief Minister and the Home Minister demanding the immediate release of the arrested activists. We also hope that you would state in most certain terms your unacceptance of such a communal agenda of this government especially with regard to Bababudangiri and the recent Mangalore riots.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy
Ph: 2225 3414 / 22253424
cm@kar.nic.in

Home Minister M.P. Prakash
Ph: 22251798
Internal Ph: 2092489
e-mail: homemin@vsb.kar.nic.in

Karnataka: Hindu Sena to hold Datta Jayanti on December 4

The Hindu
Nov 11, 2006

Hindu Sena to hold Datta Jayanti on December 4

Staff Correspondent

Bidar: Rashtriya Hindu Sena will organise Datta Jayanti celebrations at Bababudangiri on December 4. RHS president Pramod Mutalik told presspersons in Bidar on Friday that Datta Jyoti would be brought from Ganagapur in Gulbarga district to Bababudangiri before the celebrations.

A Statewide yatra would be organised for the purpose, he said. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicising the issue.

The party that swore by Hindutva had moved away from it for political reasons. It was trying stage a drama in Bababudangiri by trying to organise rallies like "Sandesh Yatre".

It should stop interfering in Bababudangiri and allow the pro-Hindu organisations to hold celebrations there, he said.

Clemency

RHS would organise a Statewide agitation against granting of clemency to Mohammad Afzal, who had been sentenced to death in the Parliament attack case. RHS would field Prem Kumar as its candidate in byelections from the Chamundeshwari Assembly Constituency.

Hindutva dishonesty is exposed

Deccan Herald
October 14, 2006

Hindutva dishonesty is exposed
By Ramakrishna Upadhya
The proponents of Hindutva, more specifically, the Sangh Parivar followers, are generally peeved that the mainline media distrusts them, and that their activities mostly attract negative publicity.

Late last month, the activists of Rastriya Svayamsevak Sangh had arranged a seminar in Bangalore on “Media & Hindutva – a Dialogue” as part of the birth centenary celebrations of one of the founders of RSS ideology, M S Golwalkar. Though a majority of speakers were RSS sympathisers, the organisers had also invited a smattering of critics as the objective seemed to be to build bridges with the media.

The proponents of Hindutva, more specifically, the Sangh Parivar followers, are generally peeved that the mainline media distrusts them, and that their activities mostly attract negative publicity. The seminar generated a lot of heat and some light as well.

The “dialogue” was obviously a futile exercise considering that the Saffron brigade has turned up in full strength at the Baba Budangiri Datta Peetha to continue its campaign to turn this Sufi shrine into “the Ayodhya of the South.”

Baba Budangiri, nestling in the beautiful surroundings of Western Ghats at 5,500 ft above sea level, has been a pilgrim centre for Hindus and Muslims alike for centuries. Hazrath Dada Hayath Meer Khalandar is said to have come around 1000 AD from West Asia to teach Sufism. In the 17th century, Khalandar’s follower, Baba Budan, came and settled down in one of the caves atop the hills, which eventually acquired his name.

Interestingly, historians have found that Baba Budan’s name was often interchanged with Guru Dattatreya and in the records of the princely state of Mysore, the shrine is referred to as ‘Guru Dattatreya Baba Budan dargah.’

Inside the cave, there are four tombs which lie next to each other and at some distance away are a ‘peetha’ and a pair of ‘paduke’ carved in stone. Traditionally for centuries, both Hindus and Muslims have worshipped with flowers, lighted lamp, coconut and camphor, while the ‘Urus’ has also been accompanied by drums and piped instruments associated with the Hindu festivals.

There cannot be a better example of the composite culture of India and one would have expected the Hindutvavadis to be proud of it. But, apparently, such great symbols of unity and secularism are anathema to those who thrive on divisive politics. As much as they blame the ‘pseudo-secular’ political parties of indulging in minority appeasement and vote bank politics, the Hindutva votaries would like to keep sharpening the ‘us’ and ‘them’ divide by distorting facts and striking at secular models.

Thus, where there was no dispute, the Sangh Parivar ‘invented’ Datta Jayanthi in 1984 and tried to mobilise a large number of Hindus to lay claim to the shrine. In 1998, being in power at the Centre, it organised rath yatras from five corners of the state to put the issue on the national scene. The following year, the Congress government led by S M Krishna succumbed to its pressure and allowed yagnas and homas and even installation of idols, which were never part of the tradition at Baba Budangiri hills.

Early this year, the BJP unexpectedly made a piggy-back ride to power in Karnataka along with Janata Dal (Secular), and Baba Budangiri has posed an interesting challenge to them.

The JD(S) somehow had to maintain its ‘secular’ image, while the BJP being part of the ruling combine, had to demonstrate to its cadres that the agenda of saffronisation of Baba Budangiri is being taken forward.

The hardcore RSS activists must have hoped that the BJP ministers in government will give a big push to the Hindutva movement at Datta Peetha this year. But, to everyone’s pleasant surprise, the activities so far indicate that the BJP leaders have suddenly turned ‘responsible’ and don’t want to do anything that might dislodge them from power.

The BJP-JD(S) coalition has apparently reached an agreement that saving the government is more important than indulging in bravado, especially when there is a high court direction to maintain status quo ante and a ‘hostile’ government at the Centre waiting to pounce on its mistake.

Therefore, there is no mobilisation of the activists anywhere near the scale of 3-4 years ago, no participation of any prominent leader barring the party president, no homas, havanas etc to provoke the police....only a well-rehearsed ‘drama’ to fool its supporters that the BJP is seriously pursuing its agenda.

The pity is that the couple of crores of rupees being spent by the government for providing security to this farce could well have been used to create some basic facilities for pilgrims visiting the scenic Baba Budangiri hills, as nothing exists now. In the bargain, the Hindutvavadis stand thoroughly exposed in the eyes of the people.

Saffron spread: BJP has used its UP strategies to rise in Karnataka

The Indian Express
February 03, 2006

Saffron spread
BJP has used its UP strategies to rise in Karnataka. Will it be different now?

by Pamela Philipose

Politics in Karnataka could be the script for a fine Yakshagana performance. The angst of a wronged father confronting a wayward son who threatens to squander a carefully constructed political legacy, has mythological resonances that will long echo through the capacious corridors of Bangalore’s Vidhana Soudha. H.D. Deve Gowda knows well the price the Janata Dal — which flags the word ‘secular’ as part of its nomenclature — will have to pay for son H.D. Kumaraswamy’s pact with the BJP. He sees it for what it is: political suicide.

The BJP’s ascent to governance in Karnataka — if things go according to plan — will see the emergence of a bipolar polity in the state. It will also mean an end to the Janata Dal, as we know it, 12 short years after its big moment when various factions led by strongmen H.D. Deve Gowda, S.R. Bommai and R.K. Hedge fought elections together and gave the state its first Janata Dal government. For the BJP, breaking the south-of-the-Vindhyas barrier will come as a major psychological boost — the culmination of 16 years of concerted labour.

While covering the 1991 General Election in the state, I could distinctly discern the saffron tint in the air. The Congress, which until then had enjoyed unchallenged suzerainty in the state, had trouble even in encashing politically the sympathy generated by Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. I remember speaking at that point to the erstwhile maharaja of Mysore, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, who had deserted the Congress for the BJP. He believed that time was on the BJP’s side: “The youth are the moving force today, and they are supportive of the Hindutva cause. The Rajmata may have invited me to join the party, but I am convinced about the BJP’s politics. I am a practicing Hindu and the Congress Party’s policy of minority appeasement was too much.” He subsequently found it more advantageous to return to the Congress, but there was no denying the political frisson he had referred to. That election saw the BJP emerge with four seats in Karnataka — a first in the south — and, more significantly, 29 per cent of the votes. In ’89, it could secure only 2.6 per cent of votes!

How did this happen in a state that had witnessed the Congress’s one-party dominance ever since its birth? The cynical and corrupt politics of the Congress certainly helped, but without doubt Karnataka was the most receptive among the four southern states to the passions unleashed by the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. The Sangh Parivar’s Rama Jyothi processions introduced a new dynamic into local politics as a string of riots, in towns like Ramnagaram, Channapatna, Kolar, Devangere, erupted in September-October ’90. In Mangalore, Congress’s Janardhana Poojary who won election after election by cleverly posing as the ‘Poojary of the poor’, bit the dust in that election. The BJP’s V. Dhananjaya Kumar, buttressed by vocal support from local temple trusts and pilgrim centres, like the influential Pejavar Mutt and the Shree Kshetra Dharmasthal, defeated him by 35,000 votes.

Over the next decade the BJP consolidated its hold in three pockets of the state: the coastal belt, the Bombay-Karnataka and the Hyderabad-Karnataka regions. There is a popular misconception that the BJP’s politics in the south is markedly different to its north Indian variant. The fact is that the party’s political strategy — the “exclusion-inclusion” paradigm — was essentially the same in Karnataka, as in UP. It played the Hindu card and deepened communal divides in the state, while working for a homogeneous Hindutva identity by melding together disparate caste groups.

To help in polarising the state along communal lines, the Karnataka BJP threw itself into the Idgah Maidan campaign in Hubli, with some help from national leaders. In 1992, during Murli Manohar Joshi’s Ekta Yatra, local party workers attempted to hoist the flag in the Maidan to contest the ownership rights of the Anjuman-e-Islam. The party persisted with the campaign for the next two years, through episodes of rioting and deaths in police firing. Even after the Anjuman-e-Islam authorities defused the issue by themselves deciding to hoist the national flag, the Sangh Parivar continued to target the Idgah Maidan, making Hubli something of a communal hotspot. Its exertions saw a rise in local profile. By 2002, a party that had no presence in the Hubli corporation ten years earlier, had come to occupy 40 per cent of its seats. The conscious search for an Ayodhya-like flashpoint, also saw the Sangh Parivar home in on the Guru Dattatreya Baba Budangiri Swamy dargah, near Chikmagalur. In December 2003, the VHP-Bajrang Dal attempted to “liberate” the dargah with notables like Pravin Togadia and Sadhvi Ritambara providing the required soundbites. The state BJP participated in this campaign with great enthusiasm.

If “exclusion” required the services of the stormtroopers, “inclusion” demanded intense community networking. It was along the coastal belt that attempts to construct a homogeneous Hindutva identity proved most successful. Two factors worked in its favour there. The first was the presence of a disciplined RSS cadre. Ram Madhav, RSS spokesperson, is on record for having noted that the Dakshina Kannada district had become one of the strongholds of the RSS because in at least 300 places shakas have been running at least two programmes each. These included civic interventions like promoting village cleanliness, temple maintenance, water purification, the creation of self-help and knowledge dissemination groups. The powerful mutts and temples that dot the Mangalore-Udipi region were sites of community bonding around festivals, bhajan sessions, and locally convened Hindu Samajosavas. In these activities, the lower castes — which in an earlier era had been kept at a distance — were consciously wooed. Such activities and institutions worked as force multipliers for the BJP. At the political level the party kept itself open to anyone willing to do business with it. If Ramakrishna Hegde had helped it consolidate the Brahmin-Lingayat vote, winning over S. Bangarappa (albeit for a short spell), broadened its appeal among the Idigas.

This strategy of inclusion-exclusion has paid the party rich dividends in Karnataka, where surveys indicate that the party now enjoys considerable support from SC/STs and OBCs in the state. The BJP’s biggest problem so far had been its inability to make that final leap to power and thus keep its restive flock intact. Kumaraswamy may have just solved that dilemma — for the time being, at least.

[India: Karnataka] Intellectuals plan peace meet

The Hindu
Nov 26, 2003

[Karnataka] Intellectuals plan peace meet
By Our Special Correspondent

A delegation of writers, artists, and thinkers, led by the Jnanpith Award winner, Girish Karnad (third from left), calling on the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna (right), in Bangalore on Tuesday. Gouri Lankesh and G.K. Govindarao, members of the delegation, are seen. - Photo: K. Gopinathan

Bangalore Nov. 25. Writers, artists, and thinkers will hold a peace and communal harmony meet at Chikmagalur on December 7 and 8 if the State Government fails to ban the "Shoba Yatra" at Bababudangiri. Eminent writers, artists, film-makers, and other intellectuals from all over the State will attend the meet.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, the writers, Girish Karnad, K. Marulasiddappa, G.K. Govinda Rao, Gauri Lankesh, V.S. Sreedhara, and Sudra Srinivas, said the purpose of holding the meet was to assert the cultural importance of Bababudangiri.

Mr. Karnad told presspersons here on Tuesday that the Government should ban religious functions such as Datta Jayanthi celebration, Shobha Yatra, Datta Maala, and yagnas on the hills.

Disturbed by the constant political references to the Dattatreya Peetha at Bababudangiri, he and others visited the hills on November 21 and talked to the local people who were frightened as the situation was tense following the newly introduced so-called religious practices such as the Datta Maala.

Allowing such practices would only add to the already tense situation at Chikmagalur and surrounding localities, Mr. Karnad said and urged the Chief Minister to ban religious activities at the famed hills.

AN APPEAL FROM BABABUDANGIRI SOUHARDA VEDIKE [Karnataka, India]

[November 25. 2003]

Massive anti-communal convention planned in Chikkamagalur in karnataka to protect the hindutva onslaught on the Bababudangiri shrine

AN APPEAL FROM BABABUDANGIRI SOUHARDA VEDIKE

Dear friends,

Indian political scene is entering another phase of communal cauldron. As the general elections are fast approaching, the Ayodhya issue is being raked up again with a fascist vigor. And are 'discovering' 'Ayodhyas' all over India. And in that pursuit they have 'discovered' such an issue in 'Bababudangiri', a Sufi shrine in the midst of Western Ghats in Karnataka.Since 1998, fascist forces of sangh parivar are trying to rake up anti-Muslim fanaticism in Karnataka by mobilizing campaign for the 'liberating Bababudangiri and recovering Dattatreya Peetha'. Since 5years, they are using the religious sentiments of Hindu devotees as cannon fodder for their anti Muslim programme and the same time brahminising the Dutta cult, which in fact is synchronous with Sufi cult, identified with oppressed masses.

But the ploys of sangh parivar are being successfully challenged by the secular and democratic forces of Karnataka and they have been partially successful in forcing them to be on the defensive.Last year, many progressive and democratic organizations and individuals from Shimoga and Chikkamagalur regions of Karnataka took the initiative in mobilizing all the secular forces of different ideological faiths, under the singular task of resisting the attempts of parivar to saffronise Karnataka by using the issue. More than 450 intellectuals and 150 organizations all over Karnataka were united under the banner of 'save Bababudangiri committee'. A huge gathering of more than 10,000 people was organized in Chikkamagalur, just 10 days after the parivar gathering in the same town, which had in fact terrorized minorities. This historical event boosted the morale of victimized minority people, increased the confidence of secular forces and pushed the fascist forces to the wall.

This year, being the election year, BJP has already declared that they would make Bababudangiri, 'Ayodhya of south'. VHP-BD is organizing a similar congregation, with a declared motive of destroying the shrine this time. Already in a smaller dry run, they have already destroyed the shops belonging to the Muslim community, near the shrine.They have already declared that on December 7th a gathering for 'liberating Dutta Peetha' shall be organized in Chikkamagalur.

The secular and democratic forces of Karnataka have taken up this as a challenge and have declared that they would also organize a similar rally on the same day to 'save Bababudangiri'. We believe this 'aggressive secularism' could only be the real answer to growing fascism. On Dec.21st we are also planning to hold a rally under the slogan 'let us build souharda Karnataka' at the same place. We have been successful in mobilizing all secular forces for this task.

We appeal to all the anti-communal and progressive forces to support this effort, in all possible means, funds, propaganda, participation etc.We consider our fight against Hindu fascism in Karnataka is part and parcel of the same at all India level.

You can:
1. Release press statements, collect signatures of as many people as possible and send them to S.M.Krishna, chief minister, Vidhana Soudha, bangalore-560001. Or send mails to smk@bangaloreit.com, demanding not to permit sangh parivar to communalise the issue, not to allow provocative meetings, speeches and slogans by sangh parivar. etc

2. Publicize this issue and the efforts against it as widely as possible.

3. Participate in the events, which are organized in this regard.
Mobilize the funds to make success the programme. You can send the cheuqes/dds in the name of Sarjashankar Haralimath payable at Shimoga.

K.L.Ashok
(Convener,Bababudangiri souharda vedike)
Contact address: K.L.Ashok, convener, Bababudangiri souharda vedike,
Dharanishiva nilaya 2nd cross, Bapooji nagar, Shimoga, Karnataka-577 201.
Phone: 0- 94481 55604 (Dr.Vasu). E-mail: