Prevent groups from exerting pressure on traders based on their background: Bajal

MANGALURU: The Dakshina Kannada- Udupi Jilla Jatra Vyaparasthara Samanvaya Samiti has criticized groups that oppose the vendors of other communities from setting up stalls during temple fest.

The committee has directed a stern appeal to the state government, urging it to prevent any group from exerting pressure on traders based on their background.

Samithi honorary president Sunil Kumar Bajal highlighted the disconcerting trend wherein certain groups are erecting signs during temple fest barring traders from other communities from setting up stalls.

He expressed concern over the prevailing atmosphere of apprehension created by such actions.

"This is deeply troubling. The government must view this with utmost seriousness and take decisive actions. Such occurrences should not find any space to thrive," he told reporters.

Referring to a recent incident in Maravanthe village of Udupi district, Bajal recounted how non-Hindu traders were reportedly denied the opportunity to establish stalls near a religious place during a local fair. He said that the traders were permitted to participate after presenting a recent judgment from the Supreme Court on a similar case.

"These small traders rely on their earnings from temple festivals and Uroos to sustain their livelihoods. They must not face unwarranted pressures preventing them from participating in the festivities of other communities," he added.

Dakshina Kannada Street Vendors Welfare Association honorary president BK Imtiyaz emphasized that such restrictions should be viewed as a form of moral policing.

He called upon the state government to take firm action against any attempts to curtail the traders' rights.

In contrast, Karnataka Rajya Hindu Jatra Vyaparasthara Sangha vehemently opposes the inclusion of traders from different communities during these festivals.

Sangha president Mahesh Shekhar Das argued that allowing such participation would constitute a violation of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, which pertains exclusively to Hindu religious institutions.

"If the government wishes to permit participation from other communities, then it should consider extending its jurisdiction to encompass other religious institutions too,"  he said.