Shivamogga: A major controversy has erupted at Kuvempu University ahead of a scheduled seminar on the Bhagavad Gita, with the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samithi (KDSS) strongly opposing the event and warning of a Tamate Chalavali (drum-based protest movement) if the university does not cancel it.
The seminar, titled “Bhagavad Gita and Crime Control,” is set to be held on Tuesday at the university’s Basava Mantapa in collaboration with the Swarna Rashmi Trust, the Bhagavad Gita Abhiyana District Committee and Kuvempu University. KDSS has slammed the programme as an attempt to push a right-wing ideological agenda into academic spaces.
In a strongly worded statement, KDSS state convenor M Gurumurthy said the event goes against the inclusive, rational and humanist philosophy of national poet Kuvempu, after whom the university is named. He said the Bhagavad Gita has often been used historically to justify the caste system and Chaturvarna hierarchy, and accused the organisers of “celebrating oppression under the guise of spirituality.”
The group has also questioned the involvement of the vice chancellor, who is expected to chair the programme. Describing it as “an insult to Kuvempu’s universal humanist values,” KDSS alleged that the speakers are affiliated with organisations that oppose the ideals of Basavanna, Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B R Ambedkar.
Gurumurthy further claimed the programme is part of a wider effort by right-wing groups to infiltrate universities and impose a single ideological framework on students. The sudden release of the invitation, only two days before the event, has raised further suspicion, the group added.
KDSS has demanded the immediate cancellation of the seminar and warned that it will begin statewide protests if the university proceeds with it.
