<p>Approximately 200 people gathered at Town Hall on Saturday evening to unite against casteism and Islamophobia, prompted by recent hate crimes.</p>.<p>“The trigger for holding the event was recent crimes such as an RPF guard murdering Muslim passengers aboard a train, and a dishonour killing in Kolar. There have been four dishonour killings in Karnataka in the last three to four months,” said Vinay Sreenivasa of Bahutva Karnataka, the organization behind the event.</p>.Operation Lotus to begin soon in Karnataka: K S Eshwarappa.<p>“The reason behind such incidents is caste supremacy. So we are taking a pledge to develop an anti-caste mentality and looking for solutions to overcome this,” he said.</p>.<p>The event also highlighted recent instances of violence against a Muslim student by a teacher, the bulldozing and economic boycott of Muslims in various cities, sexual assaults of women in Manipur, and the denial of 15 months’ wages to pourakarmikas in Kanakapura.</p>.<p>Shailendra, an undergraduate student at Azim Premji University, stated, “I am participating because we have to speak up about what is happening. Also, students participating in politics is important.”</p>.<p>Varalakshmi of Slum Mahila Sanghatane said, “Muslims are being targeted and discriminated against. During the murder of Muslims on the Mumbai-Jaipur train, passengers did not intervene. What happened to our sense of humanity?”</p>.<p>The gathering demanded that the state government should organise a public consultation on ways to prevent honour killings.</p>.<p>They called on the central government to recognise the growing Islamophobia, and convene an all-party meeting to discuss how to implement Supreme Court judgments on curbing hate speech and mob lynchings.</p>
<p>Approximately 200 people gathered at Town Hall on Saturday evening to unite against casteism and Islamophobia, prompted by recent hate crimes.</p>.<p>“The trigger for holding the event was recent crimes such as an RPF guard murdering Muslim passengers aboard a train, and a dishonour killing in Kolar. There have been four dishonour killings in Karnataka in the last three to four months,” said Vinay Sreenivasa of Bahutva Karnataka, the organization behind the event.</p>.Operation Lotus to begin soon in Karnataka: K S Eshwarappa.<p>“The reason behind such incidents is caste supremacy. So we are taking a pledge to develop an anti-caste mentality and looking for solutions to overcome this,” he said.</p>.<p>The event also highlighted recent instances of violence against a Muslim student by a teacher, the bulldozing and economic boycott of Muslims in various cities, sexual assaults of women in Manipur, and the denial of 15 months’ wages to pourakarmikas in Kanakapura.</p>.<p>Shailendra, an undergraduate student at Azim Premji University, stated, “I am participating because we have to speak up about what is happening. Also, students participating in politics is important.”</p>.<p>Varalakshmi of Slum Mahila Sanghatane said, “Muslims are being targeted and discriminated against. During the murder of Muslims on the Mumbai-Jaipur train, passengers did not intervene. What happened to our sense of humanity?”</p>.<p>The gathering demanded that the state government should organise a public consultation on ways to prevent honour killings.</p>.<p>They called on the central government to recognise the growing Islamophobia, and convene an all-party meeting to discuss how to implement Supreme Court judgments on curbing hate speech and mob lynchings.</p>