Disenfranchising of Muslims remark: Karnataka police file FIR against Vokkaliga seer

BENGALURU: Karnataka Police filed an FIR on Friday against Vokkaliga seer Kumara Chandrashekaranatha Swami for his controversial statement calling for the disenfranchisement of Muslims in India.
The FIR was registered by the Upparpet police in Bengaluru after a complaint was lodged under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The complaint described the seer's statement as inflammatory, claiming it could disrupt communal harmony in society.
Kumara Chandrashekaranatha Swami's remarks on Tuesday, which called for depriving Muslims of their voting rights, sparked significant controversy in Karnataka.
The seer, who leads the Vishwa Vokkaligara Mahasamsthana Mutt, made the comments at a protest in Bengaluru organized by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, a farmers' organization associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The protest was held to oppose notices issued by the Waqf Board to farmers.
The seer had said, "Politicians indulge in vote bank politics and appeasement of Muslims. Hence, Muslims should be deprived of exercising their voting powers. This should be done and the end of vote bank politics would help the progress of the country."
He went on to compare India to Pakistan, stating that in Pakistan, non-Muslims are not allowed to vote, and suggested that applying this principle in India would result in peace, with Muslims staying to themselves. “Everyone can live in peace,” he concluded.
The remarks quickly went viral, igniting a wave of criticism across the state.
On Thursday, the seer issued a statement regretting his comments, clarifying that Muslims are citizens of India and do not belong to any other country.
He explained, "The forum was about addressing the woes of farmers who are troubled by the Waqf Board. Against this backdrop, I made the remarks. It was a slip of the tongue. I should not have made the statements. Muslims are Indian citizens and they do not belong to other countries. I request you to end the matter at this stage and do not drag it further," he said to the media.