Graffiti can create unrest

Mangaluru, the headquarters of Dakshina Kannada district, is tense after pro-terror inflammatory graffiti were found scribbled on walls on two occasions in a span of three days recently. One of the graffiti proclaims, “Do not force us to invite Lashkar-e-Taiba and Taliban to deal with Sanghis and Manuvedis #LashkarZindabad.” While it is too early to conclude if there is a larger, sinister motive behind the graffiti or if it is the handiwork of mischief mongers, such provocative messages which have the potential to create unrest in the society, need to be condemned in no uncertain terms. While the police should act fast and bring the guilty to book, politicians should refrain from adding fuel to fire by giving the incident a communal tinge.

The coastal districts are communally sensitive and the police are expected to keep an ear to the ground at all times. That the graffiti were found on two occasions within three days, point to an intelligence failure while the inability to quickly apprehend the culprits is a reflection on the poor networking and investigating skills of the district police. Even a day’s delay in cracking such sensitive cases can lead to rumour-mongering, leading to catastrophic consequences. One of the main reasons for the poor intelligence gathering and networking abilities is the frequent transfer of police officers and the politicisation of postings. Often, a police officer is transferred just as he is about to come to terms with the underbelly of his jurisdiction. As long as the present system of posting police officers based on political recommendations and other extraneous considerations, rather than on merit, does not end, criminals and anti-social elements will continue to have an upper hand.

Studies worldwide have indicated that frustrated, unemployed or socially excluded youth often give vent to their pent-up feelings through graffiti and street art. There is certainly something seriously wrong with Mangaluru and the neighbouring Udupi district. Once known for their entrepreneurial spirit and academic exploits, they are now constantly at a boiling point, easily provoked by even seemingly minor incidents. Having clad their progressive image, the districts now stand marred by their regressive thinking, acute drug menace and attacks on pub-going girls. While there is no denying that communal elements have contributed in no small measure to the steady deterioration of the coast in the recent past, the government should immediately commission a socio-economic study by an eminent panel to delve deeper into the matter and identify what exactly ails these districts. Mangaluru and Udupi have always been the pride of Karnataka and their further decline cannot and should not be allowed.