Environmentalist Leo Saldana and others who had petitioned the HC over the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) ‘development’ of the 137.24-acre Begur Lake alleged that they are being threatened by right-wing activists. Mr. Saldanha, one of the petitioners in the case, told The Hindu that he has been labelled ‘anti-national’.
The BBMP, which had taken up development of the lake that was once a cesspool of industrial effluents and sewage, built an island and installed a statue of Shiva here. In August 2019, the HC stayed the inauguration of the project and pulled up civic officials for reducing the lake area. However, the tarpaulin around the statue was removed by locals, and videos of locals seeking completion of the work, and giving the stay a communal tinge, have been circulating on social media.
A public statement issued jointly by CIVIC Bangalore, Citizens for Bengaluru, and Campaign Against Hate Speech, along with scores of citizens, stated: “Various communal statements were also made against the petitioners, in particular Leo Saldanha. This was followed by more videos by others, and posters were also circulated in which serious threats were issued against anyone who came in the way of the Hindutva project. All this has happened under the direct gaze of the local police, BBMP officials and other officials.”
In March this year, the court also gave the BBMP two weeks to make its stand clear on the erection of the statue on the island. BBMP senior officials, who spoke to The Hindu on condition of anonymity, said that no decision had yet been taken on action against miscreants who had removed the tarpaulin shroud. “We only got to know that it had been removed following the videos on social media. We are following the court’s directions and have stopped all work on the lake,” an official maintained.
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