"No more moral policing"; CM Siddaramaiah cracks down on harassment; Dy CM joins [details]

Karnataka has seen a considerable increase in incidences of moral policing in recent years. The coastal Karnataka region, and particularly the Dakshina Kannada district, has emerged as a frontrunner in terms of being a hotbed of moral policing.

To put an end to this, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated on Tuesday, May 23 that the state's new government headed by Congress would crack down hard on moral policing.

"No more moral policing," Siddaramaiah declared to reporters in Bengaluru. "We'll put an end to it."

BJP's Basavaraj Bommai was earlier chastised for making a speech that appeared to support moral policing in 2021. Siddaramaiah scolded Bommai for his statements at the time.

Siddaramaiah's declaration comes just days after the Congress gained a massive majority of seats in Karnataka's elections. Siddaramaiah told the media on Tuesday that the police department would be strictly monitored to ensure that it runs properly and that police officers do not harass the general public. He also stated that the state will not tolerate hooliganism, illicit club activities, or drug mafia.

"Strict action will be taken against any officials found to be involved in such activities," the chief minister added.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar confirmed Siddaramaiah's remarks shortly after the press conference on Tuesday. "There will be no more rowdy activities; people or any organization involved in it will be held accountable. All clubs, unlicensed [activities], and criminal activities should be closed down. There will be no more harassment of people. There should be a friendly atmosphere, and we should provide a corruption-free government," he stated.

The most recent case of moral policing was on April 1 resulted in the death of a Muslim man in Karnataka's Ramanagara district, allegedly by a cow vigilante gang.

The case triggered criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was in power then. The opposition accused the BJP government headed by Basavaraj Bommai of creating communal tensions in order to protect the accused. Later, Ramanagara police arrested cow vigilante Puneeth Kerehalli and four of his associates in Rajasthan, where they were on the run after allegedly killing Idrees Pasha on April 1 during an alleged cow rescue operation.