K'taka: Hindu "activists" involved in Ram Mandir movement 3 decades ago face arrest threat

As the Ram Mandir inauguration in Ayodhya is coming closer, Karnataka police department has taken up cases for investigation against Ram Mandir activists who allegedly indulged in destruction of property and other cases three decades ago at the height of the movement for Ram Mandir, according to sources.

Sources further explained that the police department had formed a special team and prepared a list of accused persons who are involved in police cases during 1992 Ram Mandir movement which resulted in violence and communal clashes.

Hubballi police arrested Srikanth Poojari in connection with alleged case of torching a shop owned by a minority on December 5, 1992, in Hubballi. Poojari is the third accused in the case and the police are looking out for other eight accused in connection with the case. Poojari had been sent to judicial custody.

Likewise, Hubballi police prepared a list of 300 accused persons who are allegedly wanted in communal clashes that took place between 1992 and 1996. The police sources explain that the accused are in their early and late 70's now and many of them have gone away from the city.

Many of the accused are now in important positions and police are also considering the consequence of legal action against them. The Congress government has allegedly directed the police department take up the cases for investigation in this regard.

Many individuals in Ram Janma Bhoomi movement are now prominent BJP leaders and when BJP was in power, the cases against prominent leaders were dropped, sources said.

Hindu organisations have expressed outrage against the move of the Congress government. They have charged that as BJP and Hindu organisations have taken up door-to-door campaigning in the backdrop of inauguration of Sri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the Congress government is not able to tolerate the campaigning and is resorting to such move to initiate action on cases reported three decades ago.

The development is likely to stir a major controversy in the state. Karnataka witnessed major violence during the Ram Janmabhoomi Rath Yatra movement launched by veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani in 1990's.