Security has been heightened in Srirangapatna, the erstwhile capital of 18th-century ruler Tipu Sultan in the district, following Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP) call to perform puja at the Jamia ꦚmosque, claiming that it was built after razing a Hanuman temple.
Prohibitory orders have been imposed in the temple town under section 144 of the CrPC to prevent any protest or procession from taking place.
Besides the district police force, contingents of Karnataka State Reserved Police have also been deployed. The roads have been barricaded and security pickets have been erected in the town.
Wearing saffron scarves and holding saffron flags, the Bajrang Dal and VHP activists on motorcycles raised 'Jai Sriram' slogans. Fearing backlash, many shopkeepers around the shrine downed shutters for the day.
Members of ꦉfringe Hindu outfits have called for a protestౠ march to the mosque.
However, aut𓆉horities have denied p🎐ermission for it.
State Home Minister Araga Jnanendra has given dire💦ctions to the police to take all the measures to ensure peace and public order in view of VHP's 'Srirangapatna Chalo' ca🍒mpaign.
Meanwhile, the Sriram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik condemned the restrictiꦓons saying they should be imposed on 'them'.
"There is a Ganapati temple, a temple tank and a well inside the mosque. Despite all these, mosqඣues running Madrassas and offering Namaz there is wrong. It is 'they' who should be stopped. They should be thrown out. I condemn the BJP government which is trying to stop our protest," Muthalik told reporters in Kalaburagi on Saturday.
The right-wing organisations have been claiming that the Jamia mosque was an Anjaneya Temple, which Tipu Sultaဣn had destroyed to build a mosque ♍in its place.
The outfits have submitted a memorandum to the district authorities seeking a survey of the mosque and taking steps to return the 'Anjaneya Temple'♑ to Hindus if their claim was found to be true.
