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Who Is Banu Mushtaq? Row Erupts as BJP Leaders Object to Booker Prize Winner Opening Mysuru Dasara Festival
Banu Mushtaq, first Kannada author to win the International Booker Prize, will inaugurate the 4,414th Mysuru Dasara, prompting debate over religious traditions and inclusivity.
- The Karnataka government selected Banu Mushtaq, Kannada writer and International Booker Prize winner, to inaugurate Mysuru Dasara Mahotsava starting September 22, 2025.
- Home Minister G. Parameshwara and officials framed Dasara as a secular Nada Habba , justifying Banu Mushtaq's invitation despite BJP objections.
- Expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal wrote on X that Mushtaq must clarify if she follows Islam or believes all paths lead to moksha before inaugurating Dasara.
- Police registered two FIRs as Udupi district police booked inflammatory posts flagged by Kollur police station social media cell under Section 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
- There is precedent: Nissar Ahmad and Sir Mirza Ismail have played central roles at Mysuru Dasara Mahotsava, which attracts nearly five million people annually, increasing the significance of this year's 4,414th Dasara.
18 Articles
18 Articles
CM Siddaramaiah invites Booker winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate Mysore Dussehra 2025. BJP protests, government defends decision.
No objection to Banu Mushtaq inaugurating Dasara festival if she respects deity, says Yaduveer
Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Mysuru MP, has said he has no objection to Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq inaugurating the Dasara festival if she respects the deity of Chamundeshwari.
FIRs after Islamophobic posts target Banu Mushtaq’s Dasara invite
Two FIRs have been registered in response to the Islamophobic and offensive social media posts triggered after the Congress-led Karnataka government’s inaugural invite to Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq for the upcoming Mysuru Dasara went viral. The first FIR was lodged on August 23 against Jagadish Udupa after he uploaded a Facebook post allegedly criticising the government’s decision to invite Banu, a Muslim, to a Hindu religious festival. Hi…
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