JOIN USVarious protest demos held in city
Several protest demonstrations were held at various venues in the city on Monday for varied causes and demands.
Members of the city unit of the Janata Dal (Secular) staged a dharna at Gandhi Square to protest against the attack on young women at Morning Mist homestay at Mangalore by activists of Hindu Jagaran Vedike.
The agitators alleged that the BJP government was behind the attacks as it was the handiwork of the vedike. Pointing out that the Union government had taken action against the persons who attacked women in Assam by arresting them, the protestors said the BJP government in the state should take stern action against the attackers and maintain law and order in the society.
Condemning the attackers who also used foul language against the women, they urged the government to arrest the accused under Goonda Act. JD(S) city unit president Rajanna, working president SBM Manju, general secretary Prashanth, ex-mayor Sandesh Swamy, ex-vice-mayor M J Ravikumar and others participated in the dharna.
Railway safety
Members of Mysore Kannada Vedike staged a protest demonstration in front of the railway station here, alleging that there was no safety for passengers — particularly women — in trains.
They alleged that the failure of the Railways to take adequate safety measures was the cause for the attack and molestation of a woman in a train near Maddur recently. They pointed out that no action was taken either by the railway authorities or the public present in the train till the attackers pushed the woman out of the train. They said women are now afraid of travelling alone after the unfortunate incident.
President of the vedike S Balakrishna, Nalabeedhi Ravi, Sa Vi Mallikarjuna, Suresh Babu, Venkatesh, Mahadevaswamy and others took part in the agitation.
Dalit protest
The call for a statewide protest demonstration by Karnataka Rajya Dalit Sangarsha Samithi evoked good response in the city.
Members of various Dalit organisations staged a dharna in front of the deputy commissioner’s office and shouted slogans against the BJP government in the state.
The activists said the BJP came to power for the first time in south India after a long struggle, but it has failed to provide a welfare government. Pointing out that the BJP has already given three chief ministers and two deputy chief ministers in four years, they alleged that it has failed to safeguard the interests of farmers even though it came to power chanting the mantra of welfare of the farming community.
They urged the government to take steps to ensure that the hostels start the day of reopening of schools and colleges. The government should take steps to curb capitation fee menace and it should open English medium government schools, they demanded.K P Mahalingu, Mallesh Chunchanalli, Srinivas Bamboo Bazar, Nagaraju and others were present.
Internal reservation
Urging implementation of the recommendations of the A J Sadashiva Commission for internal reservation in quota for Scheduled Castes, members of Madiga Dandora staged a protest demonstration in front of the taluk office here by beating the drums.
Stating that Madigas have been deprived of the fruits of reservation for Scheduled Castes for decades, they lauded the recommendations of Justice A J Sadashiva and demanded its implementation at the earliest.
The activists also demanded that the recommendations be applied even while filling up backlog vacancies in the government and other agencies. A separate corporation should be formed for the development of the community and the practise of hiring pourakarmikas on contract should be banned, they urged. Rajanna and Siddaraju led the protest demonstration.