Udupi: A controversy has erupted in coastal Karnataka after a seemingly heartwarming story of communal harmony in Udupi took a political turn, with BJP leaders alleging that a woman presented as a “Muslim neighbour helping a Hindu widow” was actually the converted daughter of the elderly woman herself.
The issue surfaced after Karnataka Women and Child Development Minister and Udupi district in-charge minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar shared details of the incident on social media, describing it as an example of Hindu-Muslim harmony and the true spirit of India.
According to the minister’s earlier statement, a group of Muslim women had approached her during a public grievance meeting in Udupi seeking justice for an elderly Hindu widow who had allegedly been denied possession of land granted to her by the government nearly 35 years ago.
The woman at the centre of the issue, Girija Shettigar, a resident of Badagabettu in Udupi taluk, had reportedly been allotted five cents of land in 1989 under a government housing scheme for the landless poor. Though she possessed legal ownership documents, forest department officials allegedly prevented her from occupying the land, claiming it fell within protected forest limits. Unable to build a house on the site, the elderly widow had reportedly spent years living in rented accommodation and working as a daily wage labourer.
During the grievance hearing, two hijab-clad women reportedly appealed to Minister Hebbalkar to intervene and help Girija secure possession of the land. The minister later praised the gesture online, stating that communal harmony and compassion among communities represented the true strength of India.
ಭಾರತದ ಬಹುಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯ ಪರಂಪರೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸೌಹಾರ್ದತೆಗೆ ಅತ್ಯುನ್ನತ ಸ್ಥಾನವಿದೆ. ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ಉಡುಪಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದ ಹೃದಯಸ್ಪರ್ಶಿ ಘಟನೆಯು ದೇಶದ ಅಖಂಡತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಪರಸ್ಪರ ನಂಬಿಕೆಗೆ ಹೊಸ ಭಾಷ್ಯ ಬರೆದಿದೆ. pic.twitter.com/xVNRDMlqZ8
— Laxmi Hebbalkar (@laxmi_hebbalkar) May 17, 2026
However, the incident soon sparked political controversy after BJP leaders claimed the narrative presented before the minister was misleading.
Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna alleged that one of the women who approached the minister was not a “Muslim neighbour,” but Girija Shettigar’s own daughter who had converted to Islam after marriage. According to BJP leaders, the woman had concealed her Hindu identity and introduced herself as a neighbour, thereby allegedly misleading the minister and the public.
“This is not a case of Muslim neighbours helping a Hindu woman as portrayed. The woman is actually the daughter of the elderly lady who later converted to Islam. Presenting her as a neighbour and hiding the actual relationship is unacceptable,” Yashpal Suvarna alleged while demanding clarification from the minister.
ಕೋಮು ಸೌಹಾರ್ದತೆಯೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಭಾರತದ ಅಸ್ತಿತ್ವ, ಉಡುಪಿಯಲ್ಲೊಂದು ಹೃದಯಸ್ಪರ್ಶಿ ಘಟನೆ!
ಉಡುಪಿಯ ಪ್ರವಾಸದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಾಗ ಭಾರತದ ನೈಜ ಸಾಮರಸ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಮಾನವೀಯತೆಗೆ ಸಾಕ್ಷಿಯಾಗುವಂತಹ ಒಂದು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಅಪರೂಪದ ಘಟನೆ ಜರುಗಿತು. ಉಡುಪಿ ತಾಲೂಕಿನ 80 ಬಡಗಬೆಟ್ಟು ನಿವಾಸಿಯಾದ ಗಿರಿಜಾ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿಗಾರ್ ಎಂಬ ಬಡ ವಿಧವೆ ಮಹಿಳೆಗೆ 1989 ರಲ್ಲೇ ನಿವೇಶನ… pic.twitter.com/6d9lrsyouY
— Laxmi Hebbalkar (@laxmi_hebbalkar) May 16, 2026
The BJP leader further accused the minister of making politically motivated statements targeting BJP representatives in Udupi district without verifying facts.
“By portraying the incident as a lesson in communal harmony and indirectly attacking BJP leaders, the minister has spread a misleading narrative. She must apologise after the truth has come out,” he said. Suvarna also demanded a high-level inquiry into the circumstances under which the grievance was presented before the minister.
The controversy has now triggered a heated political debate in coastal Karnataka, a region often sensitive to issues involving religion and identity politics.
BJP leaders claimed the episode raised concerns about “concealing religious identity” and accused the Congress government of attempting to create communal narratives for political gain. Some leaders even demanded closer scrutiny of people visiting government offices wearing a burqa or hijab, remarks that have further intensified political reactions. The incident has also reignited discussions around religious conversion, identity and communal relations in coastal Karnataka, where such issues are frequently projected as examples of communal harmony.
BJP leaders alleged that the incident was a clear attempt to mislead the general public. They said the woman should have identified herself as the daughter of the elderly woman instead of presenting herself as a neighbour before the minister. The leaders further claimed that several such incidents are projected as examples of communal harmony when, according to them, they are not genuine. “We wholeheartedly welcome true communal harmony, but not fabricated narratives created for publicity,” they added. Officials have yet to issue any formal clarification regarding the allegations made by BJP leaders. The forest land dispute involving the woman also remains unresolved.
