What is there to celebrate 'Hindi Diwas' for non-Hindi speakers, asks HD Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru: Terming 'Hindi Diwas' celebration as an "underhand method" to impose the language on people speaking other languages, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Monday demanded its cancellation.
In a series of tweets on a day on which Hindi Diwas is celebrated, the former Chief Minister warned against the "imposition" of the language and said the cordial nature of Kannadigas should not be construed as their weakness.
"In India, which is a land of diverse language, culture, and traditions, several means are being used to impose Hindi on people speaking other languages including Kannada. Today's Hindi Diwas is also one such underhand method. Proud Kannadigas are opposed to this Hindi Diwas which is a symbol of linguistic arrogance," Kumaraswamy tweeted in Kannada.
Hindi is not our national language and there is no such concept in our constitution, he said and alleged that despite this there have been attempts to project it as a national language and "do politics over it".
"It has now reached an extreme. Before people of other languages revolt against such attempts, the imposition of Hindi should be stopped," he added.
Education or learning is being used as an excuse to impose Hindi, Kumaraswamy said, adding, learning can be only by choice and not by imposition.
The imposition of a language should not question the identity of another language; it should not lead to "expiration" of another language or impair the country's culture, diversity, and unity, he said.
Pointing out that September 14 is observed as Hindi Diwas to commemorate the birth anniversary of Beohar Rajendra Simha, who fought for the implementation of Hindi in central administration, he asked, "what is there for non-Hindi speakers to celebrate? Pointless Hindi Diwas should be canceled."
Kumaraswamy said, if Hindi Diwas has to be celebrated, then days of all other official languages including Kannada should be observed by the Centre across the country.
"Separate days should be announced for this. November 1 (Karnataka formation day) should be observed as Kannada day across the country."
In recent times, a wave of 'anti-Hindi imposition' sentiment has gathered momentum in a section of the population in Karnataka.
Slogans such as, "Hindi Gotthilla Hogo. Naavu Kannadigaru, Naavu Dravidaru" (We don't know Hindi, go away. We are Kannadigas, we are Dravidians), also #ServeInMyLanguage a social media campaign demanding for government services to be available in Kannada, has gained traction.
Like Hindi Diwas, the national education policy with three-language formula was also an attempt to impose Hindi, Kumaraswamy, the son of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said.
"Kannadigas' cordial nature should not be considered as their weakness...," he added.
The JD(S) leader had recently asked as to how much more people of other languages including Kannadigas have to "sacrifice" in this country for not knowing Hindi.
Alleging that political leaders from the South were deprived of opportunities by "Hindi politics and discrimination," he had also said it has prevented many South Indians from becoming Prime Minister.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
