Bengaluru: Hundreds of activists including eminent writers, intellectuals and religious heads held a rally which began from Banappa Park to Freedom Park followed by a public meeting on Monday urging the state government to speed up the process to pass the crucial anti-superstition bill.

The winter session of the State Legislature which started here on Monday, is expected to debate the crucial bill.

The protest was led by Veerabhadra Chennamalla seer of Nidumamidi Mutt along with several religious heads, which came in response to the criticism faced against the bill earlier, that it was anti-Hindu.

“The Bill is neither against any one religion nor against all religious beliefs. It is only against inhuman acts in the name of religion,” Veerabhadra Chennamalla of Nidumamidi Mutt said.

Noted writer Baraguru Ramachandrappa said, “We need to take anticipatory bail that we are not against any religion”. He also said that the government should initially start outlawing religious ceremonies and superstitions in government offices and programmes before enacting it.

The action committee demanding the Karnataka Anti-superstition Bill has formed a committee to draft a suggestive Bill, led by former Supreme Court judge Shivaraj V. Patil. Law Minister T.B. Jayachandra and Social Welfare Minister H. Anjaneya visited the protest venue on behalf of the government.

Jayachandra said the government was completely in favour of enacting the law and the debate on the proposed Bill was subverted by right-wing groups. He said the government would build a consensus and soon place it before the Cabinet.