On the first of October 2023 in Shivamogga, Karnataka, communal unrest erupted during the Milad un-Nabi/Id-e-Milad procession, with stone-pelting by the Islamist mob leading to injuries. A provocative cutout of Tipu Sultan, shown to be killing Hindus, was displayed, along with posters of Aurangzeb at the event. 

Police initially covered part of the cutout in an attempt to quell the unrest. However, it didn’t seem to work. The protest broke out eventually, followed by police intervention and some participants in the procession clashing with them, beating them up, resulting in arrests. Hindu homes were vandalised, with residents pleading for justice. Images of the procession displayed a large sword inscribed with Urdu text as well on display. 

Several Hindu homes were targeted and pelted, and the residents were seen to be in agony, and their property was damaged. A lady asked, “Can’t Hindus live in Shivamogga?”

Among those affected was a retired teacher couple. The husband is 72 years old and has taught at schools all his life. His wife, Sushila Bai, also a teacher, was found to have taught many of them involved in the incident. Sushila Bai, speaking to News 18, expressed deep sorrow and shock at the actions of her former students, who were among those responsible for stoning her house. She had dedicated her career to teaching Kannada to the local children at an Urdu school, many of whom had also pursued degrees in the language. She never anticipated that the students she had nurtured would be involved in such destructive activities.

While the identity of some individuals involved in the stone-pelting incident has been established, others remain unidentified due to unclear photographs. It has been noted that a significant portion of the boys involved had been taught by Sushila Bai.

In this video, the husband is seen telling media persons, “I have lost all confidence, sir. I am 72 years old now. I have spent my life being a teacher. My wife has worked as a Kannada teacher in an Urdu school here. She learnt Urdu herself and taught the kids so that they could learn Kannada. People who came here and attacked – 90% of them are students of her own school. She was their teacher. I am very much hurt, sir, very pained seeing them. If I tell you everything now, I will be on the roads in this area tomorrow. My wife is scared; she told me not to say anything to the media or you. She told me to answer, “I don’t know” if anything is asked or enquired.”

Despite the damage to her home and the shock of the incident, Sushila Bai has refrained from filing a complaint against the students, whom she considers as her own. Instead, she hopes that they will reflect on their actions and learn from their mistakes.

In spite of being a teacher who lovingly taught her students, the Islamist mob pelted stones at her home, and they were visibly frightened for their lives if they opened their mouths. Such is the state of Hindus in a supposedly Hindu-majority country.