Bengaluru:
A seer was arrested on Tuesday for his alleged statement demanding demolition of the Jamia Masjid in Srirangapatna, located around 125 km from Bengaluru, police said.
The seer had uploaded a video on his Facebook account claiming that the historic mosque was a hanuman temple, and that it should be demolished like the Babri Masjid. A case was registered against the seer, police said.
Seer Rishi Kumara Swami of Arsikere-based Kalika Mutt in Hassan was arrested from Chikkamagaluru district, based on a complaint by Yathiraj, a security guard of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). According to police, the seer made the video when he visited Srirangapatna to attend the last rites of a child artist, who had died in a road accident on Saturday.
In the video, he states that the sculpted pillars on the outer wall of the masjid belong to a temple. “The building of a temple in Srirangapatna has been converted into a mosque. Hindus should wake up now. This is one of the mosques that should be demolished soon like the Babri Masjid of Ayodhya,” he is seen stating in the video.
The Jama Masjid or Masjid-e-Ala with two minarets was built by Tipu Sultan in 1794. The mosque is now maintained and administered by the Bangalore circle of Archaeological Survey of India. The mosque has a madrasa and a cloister for rooms.
{{/usCountry}}The Jama Masjid or Masjid-e-Ala with two minarets was built by Tipu Sultan in 1794. The mosque is now maintained and administered by the Bangalore circle of Archaeological Survey of India. The mosque has a madrasa and a cloister for rooms.
{{/usCountry}}Following this arrest, the seer told the media that he stands by his statement that the structure is a temple and not a mosque. He claimed in the video that the pillars, walls and kalyani (water body) inside the premises of the mosque symbolise Hindu architecture.
Rishi Kumara had courted arrest earlier for his controversial statements on varied issues. He has also acted in a feature film and has participated in a television reality show.
During the bail hearing, the counsel for the seer argued that the statements made by his client are not controversial and that they expressed his anguish over the remains of the temple inside the mosque. The counsel for the government argued that his bail petition should not be considered, saying his release could lead to communal disharmony and destruction of evidence. The court has reserved the judgment for Thursday.