In Bengaluru, on Tuesday, February 27th, police initiated a suo motu First Information Report (FIR) against an ‘unidentified’ individual for shouting “Pakistan zindabad” within the corridors of Vidhana Soudha. The decision to file the FIR stemmed from reports circulating on electronic media platforms. Subsequently, BJP MLC N Ravikumar and opposition chief whip MLA Doddanagowda Patil lodged a complaint with Vidhana Soudha police, alleging that Congress MP Syed Nasir Hussain’s supporters were responsible for the incendiary chant. This accusation came after Hussain’s victory in Tuesday’s Rajya Sabha polls, where he was declared the winner.
A few Islamists, like, “fact checker” Mohammed Zubair, urged Siddaramiah to take action against the BJP, denying that Pakistan Zindabad slogans were raised. He insisted that the slogan “Naseer Saab Zindabad” was raised and not “Pakistan Zindabad.”.
Members of the Congress also endorsed this narrative questioning the party’s allegiance. The politicians buttressing Zubair and shared posts and statements have been made to support this notion. He further stated claims of communal discrimination, which deviate from the truth, yet the unwavering allegiance of Congress once again revealed its imprudence. Whenever issues of national concern arise, the party’s allegiance seems to lie more in its own interests than those of the country.
However, the Karnataka Police ASI initiated a suo moto FIR against unidentified individuals for chanting Pakistan Zindabad slogans under sections 505(1)(B) and 153(B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In response to the sloganeering, the Karnataka BJP lodged an FIR at the Vidhan Soudha Police Station. According to the BJP’s complaint, following the returning officer’s declaration of Hussain, along with two other Congressmen, Ajay Makhen and GC Chandrashekhar, as winners for the Rajya Sabha at around 7 pm, some of Hussain’s supporters gathered at Vidhana Soudha and suddenly shouted ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans while cheering for him. Based on Suvarna News reports, the pro-Pakistan slogans were raised in response to the “Jai Bhavani” chants voiced by supporters of Narayana Bhandange, the newly elected Rajya Sabha member from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Notably, Syed Naseer Hussain maintains close ties with Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
The complaint expressed shock at the brazenness of the incident, which occurred openly within the legislative secretariat of Karnataka and the premises of the state assembly. It further alleged that Congress workers, along with Naseer Hussain, who shouted these slogans at Hussain’s behest, seemed to consider the event an election to the Pakistan Parliament, openly displaying their allegiance to Pakistan.
Despite denials by pro-Islamist and Congress supporters who claimed the slogan was “Naseer Hussain Zindabad” and not “Pakistan Zindabad,” the evidence suggests otherwise. Attempts to deny this fact only underscore the pro-Pakistani sentiment behind the incident. Based on Suvarna News reports, when the media intervened and questioned Naseer Hussain about the Pakistan Zindabad slogans, he angrily shouted at the media to leave. The media responded by asserting their right to know the truth and questioning how political figures could deny access to the media and behave in such a manner.
A similar incident happened last year in Belagavi, when an Islamist mob raised the slogan “Pakistan Zindabad” after the Congress won in Karnataka. which resulted in a similar uproar, raising concerns among the people of Karnataka.
