The prosperous Karnataka coastal district of Mangalore — generally referred to as a place where there’s a ready smile on every face — has a few scars to show for the communal tension that lurks below the surface of life in the district. Most visibly, the 1998 Surathkal riots when eight people were killed. But, in fact, before the recent round of rioting between October 4 and 7, in which two persons were killed, there have also been hundreds of minor skirmishes between Hindus and Muslims in the district.

Mangalore holds a special place of pride in Karnataka. It’s as progressive as Bangalore, with much cleaner air. Its people are highly literate, industrious, and inclined towards business and finance — thanks to the district’s trading history. It’s the only district in the state accessible by ship, air, road and rail. When IT companies think of a second choice location in Karnataka, Mangalore is up there with Mysore. IT bellwether Infosys already has a base in the district and is expanding while TCS is looking to set up an SEZ. Even the Mumbai underworld is known to have a keen interest in business in Mangalore.

It’s Mangalore’s politics and the strong communal undercurrents in the politics — since the 1992 Babri demolition — that is threatening to sweep the district away from its path to greater prosperity.

Since Babri, Mangalore has become divided on sharply communal lines. The BJP’s emerged as a strong force constantly gaining territory from the Congress. The 2004 elections saw the BJP make a virtual sweep of the 11 legislative assembly seats from the district. Mangalore played a key role in the BJP’s emergence as the single largest party in the 2004 polls and its current presence in a ruling coalition with the Janata Dal Secular.

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