SHIVAMOGGA: Be it freedom, farmer, Dalit or socialist movements, Shivamogga, the Gateway of Malnad region, has always been at the forefront. But not many know that the district also has a track record of extreme communal polarisation which dates back to the pre-Independence era.
From the 12th century social reformer Akka Mahadevi to socialist Shantaveri Gopal Gowda and poet Kuvempu, the district has given birth to several great, secular personalities. Esuru in Shikaripura taluk was the first village in the country to declare independence from the British in 1942 after Mahatma Gandhi gave a call for Quit India movement.
In 1951, Kagodu village in Sagar taluk saw an uprising by landless agriculture labourers of backward communities led by freedom fighter Ganapathiyappa and the movement is known as Kagodu Satyagraha. The movement led to land reforms in the state two decades later.
While the district became a central point of farmers’ struggle, Dalit activism spread across the state from the district in 1980s. At a time when the country was fighting for Independence, efforts were on in the city to unite Hindus and inculcate a feeling of nationalism among them. VD Savarkar and Nathuram Godse visited the city and addressed Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha convention in 1944.
Ganesha Utsavs were used as a means to unite Hindus. A leader of Hindu Sanghatana Mahamandali said Ganesha Chaturthi celebration in the city also contributed to the freedom struggle as it attracted more youth. “On October 26, 1947, when a Ganesha idol was being taken out in a procession, clashes broke out as some miscreants opposed playing of mangala vadya around a mosque. The clashes led to the murder of a youth,” said Dattatri, treasurer of Mahamandali.
Violence struck in 1983 during Hindu Samajotsava, when some miscreants attacked a man. The next time the city witnessed communal clashes was in 1995. A man was killed due to an old rivalry after the Ganesh idol procession.
On January 9, 2004, a man was murdered as a revenge for a clash during the Ganesh idol procession. In 2010, two people were killed, one in police firing, after a Kannada daily published a Tasleema Nasreen’s article on the practice of purdah by Muslim women, prompting protests by Muslims.
Violence broke out again after five years in 2015 when the Popular Front of India took out a rally to mark the birth of a founder. At Gajanur, three people riding a bike were attacked, while one died. Again five years later, the city was tense for a week after a man was attacked and injured due to an old rivalry. On February 20 this year, Bajrang Dal activist Harsha was murdered.
Former English professor at Kuvempu University Rajendra Chenni said the city was known as a major centre for communalism, not communal clashes, prior to Independence. “Hindu Mahasabha has been growing in the city since then. It can be noted that clashes break out over trivial issues. Communal organisations from both sides glorify such incidents, mix religion and politicise it. This time, however, people seem to be more polarised,” he added.