Karnataka Gets A Laxman, Another Anti-Woman Comment

Hardly has the furore over Telangana BJP’s Laxman’s ‘daughter-in-law’ comments against Sania Mirza died down, an RSS activist and columnist in Karnataka threatened a woman activist on Facebook with rape, simply because she has an opposite point of view. Earlier, Laxman was challenged by woman activists why his party got film star Pawan Kalyan as poster boy, who would be an ‘Australian son-in-law’ going by his logic, and if his ‘in-law’ view works only against woman! Laxman’s comments were as much anti-woman as communal, claimed critics. Now the Karnataka columnist goes a step ahead and embarrasses RSS, which quickly distanced itself from him with a press release.

Police case has been lodged against V R Bhat, a columnist with Hosa Digantha, a Kannada daily, and a prominent member of the right wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) after he threatened a woman activist with rape on Facebook.

It was his reply to activist Ms Prabha N. Belamangala’s Facebook post that promotes rational learning and science over religious beliefs. Ms Belamangala (43) is a social activist and state secretary of Janavignana Samiti, an NGO. Mr Bhat replied “How would you know about the roots of Sanathana Dharma? People who read books like ‘Edege Bidda Padu’ (by noted Dalit writer Devanur Mahadeva) are those who will support you stating that whatever you say is true. People like you must be first dragged by their hair and raped.” After Mr Bhat’s incendiary post, the activist lodged a complaint with the police. Mr Bhat has been booked under sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 109 (abetment, if the act abetted is committed) of the IPC and under section 66 (A) of the IT Act (sending offensive messages through communication service).

“There is a team behind the whole episode. This is a mindset. Some vested interests are using vocal and harsh people like Bhat and putting forth their agenda. This has been going on since the election time. The team of people led by such trolls was not letting anyone comment on any right wing policies or persons,” said Prabha, in a TV interview on Tuesday. She, along with a group also held a protest on Tuesday evening in Bangalore.

While one of Bhat’s facebook posts talks about the launch of an RSS branch in his hometown in coastal Karnataka, RSS clarified Mr Bhat has no official position with RSS and has distanced itself from the controversy.