Dalit, progressive organisations stage protest

Members march covering Lamington Road, Chennamma Circle to tahsildar office in Hubballi

Scores of men and women led by office-bearers of various Dalit and progressive organisations took out a protest march in Hubballi on Monday seeking justice for the family of the young woman who is said to have been raped and murdered at Hathras in Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress extended support to the agitation which was organised by a federation of various Dalit associations and organisations. The protestors first gathered in front of the Ambedkar statue near the Head Post Office in Hubballi before launching the protest march.

Waving flags of their organisations and placards seeking severe punishment to the accused in the case, the protestors marched to the Mini Vidhana Soudha, which houses the Huballi Tahsildar’s office.

As the number of protestors was large, the police blocked the roads leading to Kittur Chennamma Circle and diverted vehicular traffic through alternative routes.

The protestors covered Lamington Road, Brindavan Circle, Kittur Chennamma Circle and Court Circle before reaching the tahsildar’s office.

At Kittur Chennamma Circle, they staged a demonstration for a short while and later at the Mini Vidhana Soudha too. Speakers, including Hubballi Dharwad East MLA Prasad Abbayya, State president of Samata Sena Gurunath Ullikashi, president of Dalit Sena M. Arvind and others, who addressed the protestors, condemned the Hathras incident in strong words and sought severe punishment for the accused.

They said that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, which made tall claims about providing protection to women, had behaved in an irresponsible manner and had been apathetic towards the plea of the victim’s family. The Uttar Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, had, in fact, tried to snub the protesting organisations and media persons who had raised their voice for justice.

Congress leaders Altaf Halwoor, Shakir Sanadi, Babajan Mudhol, Rajashekhar Menasinakai, Mohan Hiremani, Nagaraj Gouri, office-bearers of Anjuman-e-Islam Yousuf Savanur, Altaf Kittur and office-bearers of various Dalit and progressive organisations were part of the agitation.

The protestors then submitted a memorandum addressed to the President seeking capital punishment for the perpetrators of the crime and also the dismissal of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

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