Javed Akhtar seeks arrest of Muslim cleric for remarks on cow-slaughter

Bengaluru, June 20

Noted poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar on Wednesday sought immediate arrest of Karnataka cleric Tanveer Peera Hashim for his controversial remark that cows would be slaughtered during Bakrid, saying the comment was “irresponsible and outrageous”.

“Secularism doesn’t mean ignoring or tolerating minority communalism. This irresponsible and outrageous cleric Tanveer Hashim should immediately be arrested for trying to create communal tension in Bengaluru,” Akhtar tweeted.

The cleric kicked up a controversy with his remarks made in the presence of state minister Shivanand Patil during his sermons on the occasion of Ramzan prayer at Vijayapura in north Karnataka a few days ago.

The remarks sparked a row as cow-slaughter is banned in Karnataka.

Tanveer Hashim is the head of Hashim Pir Dargah at Vijayapura, a popular Muslim shrine.

The video of his purported remarks has gone viral.

The minister chose to remain quiet after Hashim made the controversial remarks.

Condemning Hashim’s remark, BJP spokersperson S Prakash told PTI that it is a “pragmatic counter-remark” made by Akhtar and the coalition JD(S)-Congress government should wake up and book a case against the cleric immediately.

The government had a very partisan attitude towards the communal speeches made by minority clerics or people, he alleged.

Prakash also questioned the “double standards” of the JD(S)-Congress government, asking why it should have different yardsticks for party MLA and former union minister Basavaraj Patil Yatnal and Hashim.

“Both JD(S) and Congress call themselves secularists. Why are they silent? When the government can book a case against Yatnal, why not the cleric? Why the double standards? It is certainly questionable,” he said.

RSS ideologue Ratan Sharda said he did not expect any action from the Congress when in the past they hadn’t been able to stop Mani Shankar Aiyar from making controversial remarks. “When they could not stop Mani Shankar Aiyar from making useless comments, how can we expect them to take action against the minister (Patil) and the cleric? They will never do it,” he said.

The cleric’s remarks came days after a purported video of Yatnal asking corporators to work only for Hindus, who voted for him, and not for Muslims, went viral on the social media. PTI