MADIKERI: A massive protest was organised in Kushalnagar on Tuesday by Hindu organisations condemning the incidents of forceful religious conversions. The protest was joined in by locals alongside hundreds of Hindu activists from across the district, who raised pro-Hindu slogans. Several shops and other establishments across Kushalnagar town also voluntarily shut down their businesses from 6 am till noon in a display of solidarity with the protesters.
The protest march began from the town and moved towards Cauvery Nisargadhama tourist centre with people raising slogans of protecting the Hindu Dharma. The road was flooded with people holding saffron flags and chanting “Jai Shree Ram”.
Nearly 3,000 people took part in the protest march and demanded legal action against people who are involved in converting Hindu women forcefully to Islam.The agitation was triggered by a recent case of religious conversion of a Hindu mother and son in Kushalnagar to Islam.
Following the protest, a public awareness conference was held and Satish Davangere, co-convener of Hindu Jagran Vedike’s Dakshina Karnataka province, delivered a keynote address. “Forceful religious conversions can be stopped only if Hindus unite, forgetting their caste and political differences,” he said.
Satish urged the Hindu parents to be aware of their daughters’ activities and teach them Bhagavad Gita and other Hindu mythologies. He alleged that ‘love jihad’ incidents started emerging in Kodagu in 1995, which is a worrying development. “Indians are not anti-Muslim. Not all Muslims and Christians are bad,” he said, adding that everyone must stay loyal to their own religion.
Hindu Suraksha Samiti Convenor B Amrutha Raj said the awareness against conversion is not against any particular class. “Both the poor and the rich are falling victim to this forceful religious conversions,” he said.