Heavy force deployment at Dhar

WITH TENSION mounting at Dhar, the erstwhile princely town has been turned into a cantonment with heavy deployment of police forces even as Muslim and Hindu religious leaders have failed to reach a compromise.

WITH TENSION mounting at Dhar, the erstwhile princely town has been turned into a cantonment with heavy deployment of police forces even as Muslim and Hindu religious leaders have failed to reach a compromise.

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With no amicable solution in sight, police and district administration have made large-scale preparations to meet any eventuality. Apart from police personnel, Divisional Commissioner Ashok Das has ordered Indore district Joint Collector S S Rathore and two additional tehsildars for deployment at Dhar.

Officially, Bhojshala will open at 6.30 am tomorrow. The Hindu Jagaran Manch will take out a religious procession from Ghoda Chaupati at 10.30 am which will take more than an hour to reach Bhojshala. This will be followed by mahaarti and havan at the monument protected by Archaeological Survey of India.

As per the ASI decision, the monument will be vacated between 1 pm to 3 pm for namaz. The Basant Panchami celebrations will resume from 3.30 pm and will continue till sunset.

While the State’s senior police and administrative officials are keeping an eye on the situation, the saffron leaders have mounted pressure that Hindus be allowed access to Bhojshala from morning to sunset. The Muslims have rejected the offer and insist that they would offer namaz during time allotted to them by ASI.

“We’re trying to reach an amicable solution. Everyone here wants to maintain communal peace,” Dhar MLA Jaswant Singh Rathore told Hindustan Times. Meanwhile, a delegation of businessmen and distinguished citizens today met Dhar District Collector