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Anjuman-E-Islam members offer pooja at Hanumantha temple
Members of educational and social organization Anjuman-E-Islam from Dharwad offered a special pooja at the Sri Nuggikeri Hanumantha temple on Monday where a Muslim vendor's fruit cart was vandalised, reports said.
Members of the Anjuman-E-Islam, an educational and social organization, from Dharwad, offered a special pooja at the Sri Nuggikeri Hanumantha temple on Monday where a Muslim vendor's fruit cart was vandalised, The New Indian Express reported.
Four Sri Ram Sene activists were held by police for the vandalism, making it one of the first arrests on the matter of economic boycott of Muslim vendors around temple premises.
The vandalism had reportedly occurred on Saturday when members of the Sri Ram Sene, donning saffron shawls, allegedly broke and damaged at least four fruit carts carrying watermelon near the Sri Nuggikeri Hanumantha temple in the Dharwad district.
Similar incidents have been reported across the country on the occasion of Rama Navami as several communal clashes broke out between communities, including stone pelting during processions, arson, and damage to shops and vehicles at multiple places.
The arrests of Sri Ram Sene members were made by Karnataka Police on Sunday.
Superintendent of police P Krishnakant has reportedly told The Indian Express that the accused have been identified as Mailarappa Guddappanavar, Mahaling Aigali, Chidanand Kalal and Kumar Kattimani. According to the report, eight people have been named in the first information report (FIR) and police are on the lookout for the others.
Former CM and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy, condemned the incident and demanded that the activists be booked for their activities.
The vandalism incident comes after Muslim vendors were banned from trading their products at several temple fairs and annual festivals in many parts of Karnataka in retaliation after Muslims called for a state wide bandh to protest the High Court verdict which upheld the ban on wearing of hijab (headscarves) in educational institutions.
When asked by opposition Congress leaders to take action against activists for banning the Muslim vendors, the ruling BJP government cited a 2002 rule in the Assembly, issued under the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1997, under which non-Hindus are not permitted to trade on temple premises.
