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‘In 10 days…’: Pro-Hindu group demands closure of madrasa in Karnataka
A fringe outfit gave officials from the Archaeological Survey of India a 10-day ultimatum to shut down a madrasa being run inside the Tipu Jamia Masjid in Srirangapatna, Karnataka.
A pro-Hindu outfit on Monday demanded the closure of a madrasa at the Tipu Jamia Masjid in Karnataka's Mandya, alleging the site belongs to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and not to any specific religion. It also gave the ASI an ultimatum - that its members will chant the 'Hanuman chalisa' at the mosque every Saturday if the madrasa is not closed in 10 days.
Members of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike met officials at the ASI office in Srirangapatna; videos of the interaction are circulating on social media. Alleging that the mosque was built on top of a Hanuman temple, members warned that the organisation will hold protests in front of the ASI department if they do not permit them to offer prayers at the structure on Saturdays.
A letter from the fringe outfit was accessed by Hindustan Times.
The letter claims the mosque had been under the surveillance and protection of the ASI since 1935 and was declared as not belonging to any religion.
In this light, the Vedike members demanded that the structure was being used for running a madrasa - Islamic school - without authorisation or permission, and was also used for Urs, the death anniversary of a Sufi saint.
READ | Karnataka: Heavy police deployment for Hanuman Sankirtan March in Srirangapatna
The Vedike accused the ASI of inaction and said members of the Muslim community changed the structure's original look by decorating it with flags for these occasions, which 'threatened' its true form.
“The disputed mosque was originally an Anjaneya temple, for which there is proof in written, document and physical form,” the letter added. “If the department fails to take legal action against the illegal running of the madrasa in Srirangapatna's Jamia Masjid in 10 days, we should be permitted to chant Hanuman Chalisa there every Saturday as per tradition. If the department does not allow us this, we will stage a protest in front of the office," it read.
In a similar incident last week, members of another right-wing group, the Hindu Jagruti Sene, took objection to the colour of the Kalaburagi railway station - green. Alleging that it looked like a mosque, Sene members were successful in persuading railway officials to repaint the station white.
