Tense moments were witnessed as members of the right-wing organisation Hindu Jagran Vedike tried to forcefully barge into the Jamia Masjid in Srirangapatna in Mandya district, Karnataka on the night of December 10.
The members were protesting against the alleged assault on a young man who last week had replaced an Islamic flag, placed atop a Muslim household, with a saffron one.
This is the second time in two consecutive weeks that right-wing Hindus have tried to enter the masjid. On December 5, Hanuman devotees (also known as Maladharis) accompanied by Hindutva elements tried their best to enter the masjid. However, due to the presence of heavy police deployment, the catastrophe was avoided. The devotees were participants in the Sankeerthana yatra.
Videos of saffron-clad men dancing and raising slogans like, “We swear at the feet of Lord Hanuman to build the mandir (temple) right there.” and “Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Hanuman Mandir in Srirangapatna!” surfaced on Twitter.
The next day, the superintendent of police, Mandya district, Yatish N told reporters that tight security has been arranged to avoid any kind of law and order disruption.
“Due to the sensitivity of the issue, tight police security has been arranged across Srirangapatna town. We have installed CCTV cameras in sensitive areas and liquor sales have been banned as a precautionary measure,” the SP said.
