Mangaluru: The BJP and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have accused the Congress state govt of obstructing Hindu festivals using police. Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta accused the Congress govt in the state of using the police department to impose arbitrary rules on festival celebrations, thereby hurting Hindu sentiments.Referring to the police’s restrictions on using loudspeakers during festivals like Sri Krishna Janmashtami, as well as the upcoming Ganesha festival and Dasara in Dakshina Kannada, the MP expressed concern over the disruption of rich cultural and religious celebrations. He condemned the recent police action of filing cases against organisers and sound system providers for using loudspeakers during Sri Krishna Janmashtami events.Capt Chowta questioned who directed the police to suddenly implement rules that hurt Hindu sentiments, stating that during the previous BJP govt, although there were some conditions for using loudspeakers, the police did not obstruct festival celebrations. He alleged that the Siddaramaiah govt is using the police to impose such rules and cause inconvenience to people.“With cases already filed against some loudspeaker rental shop owners and their equipment seized, many are frustrated and have decided not to use loudspeakers in future public events. This situation poses significant economic challenges to those dependent on this business. If the situation persists, it will severely impact upcoming festivals like Chauthi, Hulivesha, and Navaratri,” he said. Chowta urged the govt to intervene immediately and allow people to celebrate festivals without any issues. He warned that if the govt continues to provoke religious sentiments, it will be directly responsible for the consequences.VHP submits memorandumVHP pranta sahakaryadarshi Sharan Pumpwell said that a memorandum has been submitted to the deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada seeking exemption from restrictions regarding the use of loudspeakers and the timings for processions during the Ganesha festival and Dasara. Sharan told reporters that the district administration should relax restrictions during the Ganesha festival and processions that will take place in the district between Aug 27 and Sept 2. Similarly, he also sought exemption from restrictions during the Dasara festival and processions from Oct 1 to 3. The police and the district administration should consider the centuries-old culture while issuing permissions for programmes, he said.
