BENGALURU: Members of various organisations staged a protest demanding the immediate arrest of RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat for his remark on Muslim women. “Our foremost objective is clear. We demand the arrest of RSS leader Prabhakar Bhat. The comments he made, particularly targeting women of a marginalised community, are shameful and derogatory. The absence of his arrest is not just a
failure but a significant lapse on the part of the government” said one of the over 300 protesters at Freedom Park on Friday.
Rakshita Singh, an advocate, said, “Without action, we will continue to see such situations in the future that will lead to hateful comments against specific genders and marginalised communities. Punishments should be devised to make people reconsider before making such remarks.”
She added it goes beyond targeting a specific gender or community and it involves the misuse of freedom of speech to the point where it fosters a hateful environment, jeopardising the safety of a community within their own country.
Sayeda Begum, state secretary, of Women India Women, said they were staging the protest in Bengaluru and the protest will continue statewide until the government and law enforcement take legal action against Bhat. “His remark has emotionally disturbed our whole community. We elected this government to stand up for our rights but they have miserably failed,” Sayeda said.