Karnataka women say ‘get out’ from right-wing group after being asked about religion

Bangalore: A video from a right-wing group, when a woman in Karnataka was asked why she was celebrating Christmas, the woman replied that she was insulting the group, went viral on the internet.

In an incident in Tumakuru on Tuesday, three days after Christmas, a group of men broke into the home of a family in the Other Backward Class (OBC) community.

They asked why the family celebrated Christmas and why the women did not wear sindoor or vermilion like Hindu women do.

“Why are you celebrating Christmas?” One of the men asked, as seen in a widely shared video, and asked why some of the family members had “converted to Christianity.”

The women, however, have resisted the intimidation, saying who they pray to is their prerogative and refuted the conversion charges.

“Who are you to question us? I can take off the mangalsutra (a necklace worn by married Hindu women) and keep it aside,” one of the women said, asking the men to “come out”.

The intense argument lasted for some time and was finally defused after the police called. No formal complaint was lodged.

Some family members have been celebrating Christmas for many years, according to a police officer.

Karnataka has seen a growing number of such incidents of religious intolerance, with right-wing groups facing limited action for vigilante attacks.