Self-defense training project for girls exclusively for Muslims in Karnataka? Know the truth behind the misleading story.

Recently, in Karnataka’s Haveri district, a 22-year-old woman, Swathi Ramesh Badigere was strangled to death by her lover Niyaz Bennigere. Even Though police denied the communal angle, the users linked the murder to the dangers of inter-faith marriages.
Some users criticized the Congress Government for neglecting Hindu girls. “Self-defence training only for girls for minority communities? Is the safety of Hindu girls not important?  Still unable to understand what this government is up to”, one user wrote on X. 
The debate soon started over the Karnataka government’s scheme to provide self-defence training for girls. Many users wrongly claimed that the scheme was only for Muslim girls. This narrative follows similar attacks on the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government for appeasing minorities in the state. 

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Fact Check

DFRAC initially analysed the 2025-26 budget of the Karnataka government. According to the budget document, “Self-defence skill training will be given to 25,000 girl students studying in 169 residential schools and colleges run by the Directorate of Minorities.” 
According to the official website of the Karnataka Directorate of Minorities “The Directorate of Minorities was carved out of the Directorate of Backward Classes and created in the year 1999-2000 to ensure a more focused approach towards issues relating to the notified Minority communities, namely Muslims, Christians, Jains, Buddhist, Sikhs, and Parsis.”. The minorities include Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, and Parsis. 

Announcing a slew of measures for minority welfare, the CM stressed imparting quality education to children from minority communities. He stated that classes from pre-primary to PU will be started in 250 Moulana Azad Model English Medium Schools on the model of Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) in a phased manner at a cost of Rs 500 crore, The Indian Express reported on 08 Mar 2025.
In the document about the Karnataka State budget for 2025-2026, Point 221 under the Minorities Welfare section stated, “Self-defence skills training will be provided to 25,000 girls students studying in 169 residential schools/ colleges run by Directorate of Minorities.”

Then, when searching using keywords, the team found that similar programs had been introduced by the BJP government under Basavaraj Bommai. The story can be seen here.
“An ambitious program is being charted to provide self-defence training for 50,000 girls students in Backward Classes and Social Welfare department hostels. It has been aptly named after Onake Obavva, the name itself gives the strength to fight,” Mr Bommai had said on Feb 07, 2022 while launching the project.

Conclusion:

The claims that the self-defence scheme for girls has been introduced by the Congress government in Karnataka is misleading as the scheme is for all minorities to increase self-confidence and public safety. Thus the claims are misleading.