Entertainment events face extremists’ ire

KASARGOD: The extremist youths here are turning intolerant towards some public cultural programmes. The entertainment events organised by an English medium school at Naya Bazar in Uppla near here on Monday were disrupted by a group of youths by hurling rotten eggs to the dais.

The police chased the youths away as they turned violent. Some women and children were injured while running away from the venue. But the police have not registered any case against the miscreants, though they had prevented the police from discharging their duty by trying to attack them.

Some youths at Naya Bazar, a pocket of extremist outfits, had warned the parents against viewing the dance programmes held as part of the school day. The warning was issued in the name of an extremist organisation.

Naya Bazar appears to be turning into a centre of extremist activities. There are allegations that an extremist outfit here had warned the Muslim women against showing their faces in public and also against shopping.

The police are yet to arrest all the culprits who had stoned the tanker lorry in Naya Bazar on December 6 four years ago. The lorry had overturned after a stone hit the driver. The benzene that had spilled from the tanker lorry created water pollution in the area.

According to sources, the extremist elements used to make attempts to disrupt the annual day programmes of an English medium school in Vidya Nagar as well.

Recently, the extremists had disrupted a music programme of a playback singer held at the Municipal Stadium here. The programme had to be cancelled in the middle following attack on the artists.

As a result, no public cultural programmes are being held here now. The Sandhya Ragam open-air Auditorium at Pulikunnu near here, constructed by the municipality to hold cultural programmes, is on the brink of ruin since no programmes are being held here now.