Security has been beefed up at the Jamia Masjid in Mandya after the VHP and the Bajrang Dal said they would chant the Hanuman Chalisa and protest outside the mosque on Saturday.
Security has been beefed up around the perimeter of Jamia Masjid in Karnataka’s Mandya district after right-wing Hindu outfits expressed their intent to chant the Hanuman Chalisa and protest outside the mosque on Saturday.
Functionaries from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal said they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa within a one kilometre radius of the disputed mosque. Police have been deployed to arrest demonstrators on the spot.
Barricades have been erected outside Jamia Masjid in Mandya’s Srirangapatna taluk. Five Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) platoons and other security forces have been deployed in the area to ensure law and order is maintained.
The district administration is on high alert after Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra issued directions to observe caution. Prohibitory orders are already in force in anticipation of protests.
The restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC restrict any kind of public gathering and will be effective from 3 pm on June 3 to 12 noon on June 5.
The VHP and Bajrang Dal, on May 20, submitted a memorandum to the Mandya District Commissioner demanding that a survey on the lines of Gyanvapi Masjid be conducted at Jamia Masjid to uncover the truth.
The groups have claimed that the site of the mosque was earlier a Hanuman temple “which was demolished and the mosque was built on top of it”.
The Hindu outfits called for a protest march dubbed, “Sri Rangapatna Chalo,” from Kuvempu Circle in Mandya to the disputed mosque. They had sought permission from the authorities but the permission was denied. Despite this, the groups are going ahead with the protest march.