Protest against communal violence bill

BANGALORE: Renaming the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill 2011, prepared by the National Advisory Council (NAC), as the ‘black bill’, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti voiced their opposition, in a sit-in-protest in front of Townhall on Sunday.They were joined by other pro-Hindu organisations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Shri Rama Sene and the Bajrang Dal.“The UPA government has accepted the draft bill from the NAC without thinking.They should have initiated public debate on it first”, B N Murthy, state secretary for Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Vishwa Hindu Parishad said.Criticising the Congressled government’s initiative, he said that the bill has serious implications and does not protect the rights of what he called the majority community in the country, the Hindus.The draft panel comprises members like Teesta Setalvad, John Dayal, Syed Sahabuddin, Farah Naqvi, Asgarali Engineer and others.Murthy called the drafters of the bill ‘anti-national’ and felt that they had adopted an anti-Hindu stance through this bill.‘Minorities victims of riots’The VHP alleges that according to the drafters of the bill, minorities are the only victims in riots. They also feel that the bill would restrict one’s freedom of speech and expression by preventing any analysis, written or spoken, on Muslim and Christian atrocities.‘Slaves of minority community’In a press release from the Hindu Jana Jagruti Samiti, Mohan Gowda, district coordinator said that the bill attempts to influence the media and ‘make them slaves of the minority community’.Chandra Moger, co-ordinator, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, said that they plan to conduct such protests in all districts in Karnataka.