MANGALURU: While Bidar police have gone overboard in investigating an incident wherein school children staged a play opposing CAA and NRC and have also charged a few for sedition, the Dakshina Kannada police are still to find out whether the enactment of Babri Masjid demolition by children of Sri Rama Vidyakendra linked to RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, is after all an offense or not.
The children of Sri Rama Vidyakendra enacted the controversial incident during the annual sports meet held on December 15. Following a complaint by Aboobaker Siddiqui, a local PFI worker, the Bantwal police had booked Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat and four others under section 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulating its religion or the religious beliefs) and 298 (deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) of the IPC.
But the complainant told TNIE on Thursday that there has been no progress and police did not get back to him after he filed the case. Another PFI worker who did not want to be named said that when he approached the local police recently, he was suggested not to pursue the case stating that it (incident) is not a big thing.
Meanwhile, sources said that unlike in Bidar incident, the police have not questioned students or their parents with regard to the incident so far.
When contacted, Bantwal Sub Division DySP Valentine D'Souza and Bantwal Circle Inspector TD Nagaraj only said the case is 'under investigation'.
Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police BM Laxmi Prasad maintained that the investigation is on and they are in the progress of recording the statements of witnesses. Once the statements are recorded, he said they will seek legal opinion to know whether the enactment of the play is actually an offense and if yes what charges can be framed against the accused. When asked statements of how many witnesses have been recorded, the SP said he will find out and get back. The SP has stopped responding to calls thereafter.
Siddaramaiah slams BSY govt
The state government treating the two similar incidents in different ways also came under severe criticism from Siddaramaiah, opposition leader in the legislative assembly. In a series of tweets, he condemned the government for "letting police harass the innocent students, their parents and teachers for the enactment of a skit" and said that students of Kalladka school had enacted Babri Masjid demolition incident defying all the laws and mocking the judiciary.
"Dictator is unveiling his draconian face as his position is weakening. Police are let to harm students of Universities in Delhi, his stooges are instigated to open fire against peaceful protestors. The same autocratic mindset wants to take revenge on Bidar school students," one of the tweets said as he urged police to withdraw the cases filed against the students, teachers and parents immediately.