Group seeks removal of ‘non-Hindu’ shops from vicinity of temples
The development comes a day after the state government defended the move by temples to ban Muslim traders from setting up shops in Hindu religious fairs.
Bengaluru: A right-wing outfit on Thursday demanded the removal of all shops and establishments run by “non-Hindus” from the vicinity of temples under the Karnataka endowments department.
A delegation led by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti spokesperson Mohan Gowda met the commissioner of the Karnataka muzrai department and put forth their demands on Thursday.
“Today, from Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, we met endowment department commissioner Rohini Sindhuri, and gave a memorandum that whichever temples come under the department, non-Hindus not be given an opportunity to set up shops,” Gowda told reporters after the meeting.
“Non-Hindus are owning chappal shops in the premises owned by Sri Anjaneya Temple in Upparpet in the central area of Majestic in Bengaluru. Though the lease period has been expired in 2014, the shop keepers have continued their business in an unauthorised manner till date. This is in contravention to the Karnataka Endowments Act 1997. Though the sections 29(8)(12) in the aforesaid act specifically mention that non-Hindus should not be given any land, buildings sites or any properties, it has been observed that since the last 40 years Non-Hindus have been participating in Annual fairs of some Temples coming under the purview of the Endowments Dept. Though the Act specifically mentions excluding people who may destroy the sanctity and heritage of the Temples, it is a crime that in clear violation of the act, Non-Hindus have been permitted. The failure of the department officials to take any action regarding the protection of the temples shows their irresponsibility,” he added.
The development comes a day after the state government defended the move by temples to ban Muslim traders from setting up shops in Hindu religious fairs. The government had cited a little-known law to argue in the assembly that no people other than Hindus could be allowed inside temple premises during fairs and holy occasions.
“Despite these rules being mentioned in the act, today, these acts are violated with defiance,” Gowda said on Thursday.
Over the last six days, banners have emerged outside temples in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Shivamooga districts announcing that Muslim traders will not be allowed to set up stalls in religious fairs, breaking from decades-old local traditions.
The state’s law and education ministers backed the ban instituted by at least six temples in the past week, and chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the government couldn’t interfere if the ban was legal.
“During such Jathre’s (religious fairs), there are a lot of shops that are sub-leased. These people who take up the lease from the temple management board would do it for money. This is something that the government cannot interfere in. When it is such a case, we will look into the laws as well as the facts of the case,” Bommai said on Wednesday in the ongoing session of the state legislature.
JC Madhuswamy, Karnataka’s minister for law, parliamentary affairs and minor irrigation had said in the assembly that these laws were made in 2002 when the Congress itself was in power.
“Under rule no 12, any nearby land, building and housing included, none of them should be given to anyone from other communities,” Madhuswamy had said.
A senior government official who did not want to be named said: “Areas in and around the temple, which the temple owns, non-Hindus cannot establish establishments.”
The official added that the rules have been in place since 2002, when the SM Krishna-led Congress government was in power, which has made the issue more political than administrative.
On Wednesday, right-wing groups forced the closure of shops around the Anjaneya Swamy temple in the busy Majestic area of Bengaluru, citing that it was illegal for them to set up commercial establishments there.
Gowda said that these shops had been sub-leased by whoever won the auction and that there were two shops inside and four outside the temple premises. “Since 2014, this lease has not been renewed which has also added to the loss of the state exchequer,” he added.
“Non-Hindus are owning chappal shops in the premises owned by Sri Anjaneya Temple in Upparpet in the central area of Majestic in Bengaluru. Though the lease period has been expired in 2014, the shop keepers have continued their business in an unauthorised manner till date. This is in contravention to the Karnataka Endowments Act 1997. Though the sections 29(8)(12) in the aforesaid act specifically mention that non-Hindus should not be given any land, buildings sites or any properties, it has been observed that since the last 40 years Non-Hindus have been participating in Annual fairs of some Temples coming under the purview of the Endowments Dept. Though the Act specifically mentions excluding people who may destroy the sanctity and heritage of the Temples, it is a crime that in clear violation of the act, Non-Hindus have been permitted. The failure of the department officials to take any action regarding the protection of the temples shows their irresponsibility,” he added.