Minority-community leaders held a large protest at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on Thursday, demanding the repeal of Karnataka’s anti-conversion law and cattle-slaughter prohibition law, restoration of Category 2B reservation and a stricter law to prevent hate speech.
The demonstration was organised under the leadership of the Karnataka Minorities and Oppressed Voices Forum. Participants warned that a statewide agitation would be launched if promises made during the 2023 Assembly election were not fulfilled during the forthcoming Belagavi legislative session.
The protest placed several demands before the state government, including the withdrawal of the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, commonly referred to as the anti-conversion law. The protesters also sought the repeal of the cattle-slaughter prohibition law and the restoration of 2B reservation.
Archbishop of Bengaluru Peter Machado, who inaugurated the gathering, said the event was neither a political nor a religious meeting but a large assembly of oppressed communities. He argued that the anti-conversion law was contrary to the principles of Article 25 of the Constitution and said it criminalised the existence of religious minorities.
Machado also questioned the need for a separate law when police legislation already exists to address law-and-order issues. His remarks were part of the organisers’ broader argument that the existing framework places an additional burden on religious minorities.
The gathering brought together representatives from minority, Dalit, farmers’, labour and Left organisations. Those identified as participants included writer B.M. Hanif, Shiv Sundar, CPM state committee member K. Neela, Karnataka State Muslim Federation convenor Yaseen Malpe, Dalit Sangharsha Samiti leader Mavalli Shankar, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind state vice-president Mufti R. Muhammad Hussain Saab, farmers’ organisation state convenor Veerasangayya, CPI(ML) state secretary Clifton Rozario, and leaders Basavaraj Kauthal and Suhail Ahmed.
The demands connect legal provisions with wider questions of minority rights, social protection and the administration of affirmative-action policy. However, the report does not indicate whether the state government has accepted the demands or announced a formal response to the protest.
K. Neela alleged that the cattle-slaughter prohibition law was not being withdrawn because of the government’s ties with corporate companies. The report attributes the allegation to Neela and does not provide a response from the government or from companies.
The organisers’ immediate political deadline is the upcoming Belagavi legislative session. They said failure to fulfil the commitments associated with the 2023 Assembly election would lead to further protests across Karnataka.
