The ‘Srirangapatna Chalo’ programme of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindutva groups to lay siege to the 18 th century mosque in the island town and perform puja was thwarted by the Mandya district authorities on May 4.
While a prohibitory order under Section 144 was in force since June 3 evening, the police had posted personnel in Srirangapatna, and the road leading to the mosque was out of bounds for the general public, forcing the activists to stage an agitation on the outskirts of the town. Roads within the town were barricaded and a large posse of police personnel were omnipresent.
As a result of the precautionary measures, traffic movement on the busy Bengaluru-Mysuru highway was not affected.
Authorities had denied permission for organising a rally or a procession in Srirangapatna as a precautionary measure.
About 200 VHP activists and members of other Hindutva groups assembled at Kirangur Junction near Cauvery Bridge North, beyond which their entry was barred. They staged a dharna and aired slogans besides singing bhajans and intermittently raised incendiary slogans.
The local leaders of the VHP claimed that they are yet to get a reply to a memorandum submitted in May to the Deputy Commissioner of Mandya seeking clarification on the status of the monument.
Apart from staking a claim over the mosque built during the period of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, and claiming that the mosque was built on the site of a temple, VHP activists said that the Jamia Masjid is a protected monument. Hence, they want the authorities to stop the functioning of a madrasa in the premises.
‘Warning’ that their ’patience is running out’, the VHP leaders reiterated their earlier demand for a video survey of the monument on the lines of the one carried out at Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. They threatened to intensify their agitation if they do not receive a reply from the authorities concerned within the next 25 days.
Home Minister Araga Jnanendra had stated that nobody would be allowed to take the law into their hands or disturb peace, and that the police would act firmly against those violating the law.
Mandya Superintendent of Police N. Yatish said the situation was fully under control and adequate police personnel had been deployed in Srirangapatna, which includes 4 platoons of Karnataka State Reserve Police, four platoons of District Armed Reserve Police, a unit of rapid response force, besides deploying senior officials from other cities.
