Chart A Path Out Of Dark Woods

The cycle of communal killings in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka appears to be unending.

- B S ARUN

Sectarian fire has spread far in these two coastal districts, sometimes touching the neighboring Uttara Kannada district as well. Even as the killings go on and provocative hate speeches keep the pot boiling, successive governments have done little to douse the fire. As a result, the region has become a communal laboratory where both Hindus and Muslims vie for each other's blood.

The region, a Congress bastion earlier, has become a BJP stronghold in the last two to three decades. The BJP has not lost any of the last nine Lok Sabha elections from the Dakshina Kannada/Mangaluru seat since 1991, whereas it is a mixed bag in Udupi/Chikkamagaluru districts. The BJP bagged 17 and 16 of the 19 assembly seats in the three coastal districts in 2018 and 2023, respectively.

Dakshina Kannada, with the prosperous Mangaluru as its headquarters, is second only to Bengaluru Urban in revenue generation and GST collection. The coastal region is a major educational centre where tens of thousands of students study in nine medical colleges, seven engineering colleges, and countless other institutions. It has the highest literacy rate in the state.

The district is also a significant financial centre, having seen the birth of several banks. It is home to several specialty hospitals, an international airport, a major port, several industries and many well-known temples. With high urbanization, the region's transport and communication networks are better than in all other districts except Bengaluru.