WATCH: Burqa-Clad Woman, Hindu Activists Trade Slogans In Face Off During Ram Mandir Celebrations In Karnataka

Karnataka News: Communal tensions gripped Shivamogga town in Karnataka after a burqa-clad Muslim woman and a group of Hindu activists faced off during while the former were celebrating the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and preparing ‘prasad’ offering for the occasion.

According to reports, the incident took place at the Shivappa Circle in Shivamogga, when the woman, who was accompanied by her three-year-old child, allegedly began clicking pictures when the Hindu activists where distributing sweets.

This led to an argument as the activists allegedly heckled the woman amid loud ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chants who fired back by shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’.

Reports said that hundreds of people had gathered at the Shivappa Nayak Circle in Shivamogga town to celebrate the Ram Mandir consecration at Ayodhya. Hindu activists were distributing sweets as ‘prasad’ to people and each other when a Muslim woman suddenly arrived at the scene and allegedly started cursing and abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Local media reports, quoting eyewitness accounts, said the woman also raised loud ‘Allahu Akbar’ slogans and the Ram Mandir revellers responded with ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chants. However, it was not clear what triggered the woman to resort to such behavior amid a sea of saffron supporters.

A video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:

A tense situation prevailed for some time in sensitive #Shivamogga town on Monday when a burqa-clad woman shouted ‘#AllahuAkbar’ when hundreds of people chanted ‘#JaiShriRam.’ The police took her away in the jeep and brought the situation under control.

Hundreds of people had… pic.twitter.com/CEKONaKWIv

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) January 22, 2024

‘Modi is corrupt, destroyed the country’

In the viral clip, the woman is heard accusing PM Modi of corruption an also blaming the police and authorities of supporting his “corrupt regime”.

“They forgive thieves and criminals and instead attack us (Muslims). Do you want to kill me? Don’t you have any shame?,” the burqa-clad woman can be heard saying in the video.

“You people are still supporting Modi. You don’t realize that Modi has cheated you. The country has been destroyed because of you. You will realize your folly when its too late,” the woman says as some people chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans while she spoke.

The woman responded with ‘Allahu Akbar’ chants, the video shows.

‘Mentally unstable’

However, further escalation was prevented as police arrived at the scene and whisked the woman away from the spot in a jeep to the police station. Her father has claimed that she was mentally ill and undergoing treatment, a claim that is being verified by the police.

An official said that no case was registered in connection with the incident and the situation was successfully diffused and normalized. However, former BJP minister KS Eshwarappa’s son KE Kanthesh, reportedly pulled up a police officer at the scene and asked him why the woman was not arrested.

‘She abused us without provocation’

“Regarding the incident at Shivappa Circle, the woman was reported as mentally unstable, according to her father’s statement. She is under treatment and we are currently verifying the medical documents,” a senior police official said.

One of the women who was part of the crowd celebrating the Ram Mandir inauguration, claimed that the Muslim woman abused the revellers without any provocation, asking why they were chanting Jai Shri Ram’.

“We were distributing sweets when the woman suddenly arrived there and started hurling abuses at us and questioned why we were raising  Jai Shri Ram slogans,” she said, adding that she doesn’t believe that the woman was mentally unstable.