Islamophobic Remarks :
Far-right Hindu activist Mohan Gowda is connected to the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, a militant Hindu group. He serves as the state of Karnataka’s representative for the organization. Gowda incites hatred and is a fervent opponent of Islam. Gowda regularly organizes and takes part in protests and campaigns that target Muslims and other religious minorities, even to the point of advocating for their economic boycott and genocide, as is clear from his affiliation and professional background.
He has engaged in organized crime and has advocated for a “economic boycott” against Muslims in addition to inciting hatred.
He was identified as having taken part in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh by KT Naveen Kumar (lead accused). On the evening of September 5, 2017, Gauri Lankesh, a vocal opponent of Hindu nationalism, was fatally shot outside her home in West Bengaluru.
The “emergence of Vedic philosophy” was cited as the cause of social disparity and the caste system in the state in a report on SC/ST reservation that was published in 2020 by the High Court retired judge Justice H N Nagamohan Das Commission. In response to the commission’s recommendations, Gowda labeled the judge as “anti-National” and “anti-Hindu.” He also requested that the government not use him as a member of any future commissions.
Gowda has pushed for Karnataka to outlaw “halal meat” on behalf of his group.
“We are opening ‘jhatka meat’ stores in every ward, which is meat that is obtained by killing animals with a single blow, as is common among Hindus. The entire state of Karnataka should be halal-mukt (halal-free). We demand a thorough investigation into this since millions of rupees from these Muslim-owned, halal-certified businesses are being spent in anti-Indian activities, Gowda added.
Campaigns against halal meat and its certification by Muslim authorities in the state have been led by the HJS.
It is well known that the HJS has an aggressive demand: to make India a “Hindu Rashtra” (country). Gowda and other organization officials have advocated for making India a Hindu country on numerous occasions.
The group seizes every chance to prod the state’s Muslim population and incite civil upheaval. Gowda demanded in 2020 that Bangalore’s local government permit Hindus to celebrate their holidays in the Eidgah ground, which includes a mosque within of its boundaries and is used by Muslims to perform the Eid Namaz.
Gowda declared, “Only one community cannot be permitted to use the public ground owned by the BBMP [Bruhat Bengaluru Municipal Corporation]. Hindus too have a claim to the land, but it is unethical to repress that right. We will be pleading with the government and BBMP in the coming days to give us permission to hold Yoga Day, Amrut Mahotsav, hoist the flag of our country, and celebrate Hindu holidays like Ganesha Chaturthi and Shivaratri outside.
Gowda, who promotes the “love jihad” hoax, requested that the state legislature pass a special law addressing the problem.
He declared, “Cases like Aftab’s murder of Shraddha are becoming more frequent. Ayesha, a girl from Mangaluru, adopted the moniker “terrorist” and changed her name from Asha to Ayesha. In the nation, there is a sizable Love Jihad plot at work. This is catching the girls. We seek a distinct law against Love Jihad in Karnataka, similar to the one in Uttar Pradesh, to protect such Hindu girls and women.
Gowda labeled Muslims as “diseases” and said that the only way to get rid of them (Muslims) was through the “Hindu Rashtra” (country) during a conference of Hindu extremist organizations that discussed the plan to change India into a Hindu Rashtra.
They (Muslims) are engulfing our nation like a sickness, he declared. There are five Muslim children for every Hindu child. Nonetheless, Muslims constitute a minority. We convened this gathering in order to inform people of the need for a Hindu Rashtra.
In March 2022, Gowda and other Hindu extremist leaders met with the commissioner of the Karnataka land endowment department and demanded the removal of all shops and establishments run by “non-Hindus” from the vicinity of temples covered by the Karnataka endowments department, carrying out the Hindu nationalist idea of the “economic boycott” of the Muslim community in the state.
He frequently refers to Muslims as “terrorists” and “jihadists,” distributes misinformation and propaganda, and posts images of his hateful activities through his social media profiles.