‘Common people falling prey to hate campaigns’, civil society leaders urge for unity

Incidents of communal vandalism in Hyderabad in the past two months have quickly become flash points. It appears that vested individuals using social media platforms are deliberately instigating violence to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the city, civil society leaders in the city said on Wednesday, while condemning the actions.

“Even as we were thinking that Hyderabad has left communal violence behind with no riots since 2012, we find ourselves getting engulfed in intense communalisation,” they put it.

The four incidents in Rakshapuram, Nampally, Muthayalamma Temple, and Yakutpura, according to the 22 signatories, who are urging for immediate unity and peace among all citizens and stakeholders, observed that “attempts were being made to spread poison and hatred among larger number of common people, who are falling easy prey to the hate campaigns.”

The government should take strict and exemplary action against anyone indulging in vandalism or hate mongering to instigate communal disturbances is the prime demand, they said.

The other demands they put forth are: “Authorities should prevent mobs from taking law into their hands, non-partisan policing for immediate arrests of all accused and their prosecution, and fast track courts to punish the guilty in a time bound manner.

Intellectuals including Shanta Sinha, Rama Melkote, Padmaja Shaw and others also wanted all political parties to unequivocally condemn all acts of communal hatred and violence. And public, youth in particular, must act in a responsible manner.

Signatories also included: Mazher Hussain (COVA), Sandhya V. (POW), Sajaya. K, T. Vijay Kumar, Ayesha Faruqui, M. A. Shakeel, Sarah Mathew, Jani Basha (CPDRS), queer rights activist Tashi Choedup, John Michael (NAPM), Sarokrishna Madhu, Sis.Lissy Joseph (National Workers Movement), Ann Joseph (Telangana Domestic Workers Union), Varghese Theckanath (CHATRI), Rubina Nafees (SAFA), Dontham Charan, Kirankumar Vissa (Rythu Swarajya Vedika), Meera Sangamitra (NAPM), and Krishna Kumari.

Published - October 24, 2024 07:54 am IST