After Jamia Masjid in Srirangapatna, Malali Masjid in Dakshina Kannada, and Peer Shah Dargah in Bidar, Karnataka is seeing another row loom large over another site – the Idgah Maidan in Bengaluru.
Though the state was passing through a phase of communal tension following the hijab row and a series of related events, the capital city, known as the IT and BT hub of the country, had remained immune to all these.
However, now, Hindu organisations have taken objection to the Idgah Maidan in the Chamrajpet area "being treated as the property of minorities" and decided to celebrate Independence Day on 15 August on the grounds and hoist the tricolour. They have also taken a decision to celebrate Yoga Day on 21 June on the grounds.
Appeal to CM Bommai
Hindu activist Pathapat Srinivas on Thursday said that Hindu leaders were meeting Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with a request to hoist the 'tiranga' (tricolour) and celebrate the Yoga Day there.
"Congress MLA from Chamaraj Pet, Zameer Ahmad Khan, has been repeatedly making speeches that he would get the biggest masjid in Bengaluru constructed in 2.5 acres of Idgah Maidan. There are plans of putting Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah to contest elections from Chamrajpet," he said.
Srinivas also claimed that the Supreme Court judgment in connection with the Idgah Maidan was "tampered with."
"There are corrections and no short signatures are found in the order. There will be mention of the number of corrections, which are not found," he said.
"The Bengaluru civic agency had not contested the claims of the opposite party in the Supreme Court, which upheld the injunction order of the High Court not allowing constructions in Idgah Maidan by the civic agency," he added.
"We will demand from CM Bommai that the Idgah Maidan should be preserved as a public property and cultural activities of all religions must be permitted," Srinivas said.
'Won't Allow Yoga Day Celebrations': Muslim Leaders
After the row came to light, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) stated that the Idgah Maidan was one of the playgrounds owned by it in the city. However, Muslim leaders contended that it was the property of the Waqf Board. They also said that they would not allow the celebration of Yoga Day on the premises.
Hindu activists met BBMP's Special Commissioner Rangappa on Thursday seeking permission for the celebration of Independence Day and Yoga Day. The Sri Rama Sene, Vishwa Sanatan Parishad, and Vande Mataram Samaja Seva Samsthe have also submitted applications in this regard.
However, Muslim leaders have opposed this and stated that they would hoist the Indian tricolour.
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