Karnataka to form panel to monitor hate speech as per SC order: Bommai

With a spate of communal flare-ups recurring in Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said the state would form a committee to control hate speeches in accordance with instructions of the Supreme Court.

“We will form a committee to control hate speeches in accordance with the instructions of the Supreme Court,” Bommai told reporters on Thursday at the Hubballi airport.

The chief minister said such speeches are on the rise across the country, especially on social media platforms.

The Supreme Court's orders would be followed and a committee would be constituted to control hate speech, he said.

The state witnessed tension starting from January, when the hijab row broke out. It was followed by the murder of Harsha, a Hindu activist, in Shivamogga.

Right wing outfits also ran a campaign against halal meat and pushed for jhatka meat during the ‘Hosa Tadaku', a festival to eat non-vegetarian food a day after Ugadi.

Further, there was a boycott of Hindu fishermen by Muslims in Udupi protesting against the rally by right wing members demanding ban on cow slaughter.

The incident resulted in the boycott of Muslim traders around Hindu temples.

In the meantime, violence broke out in Hubballi over a social media post showing saffron flag on a mosque. The police had arrested over 130 people, including a cleric, Waseem Pathan.