BELAGAVI
In an incident which rocked Karnataka, a mob entered a Madrasa cum Masjid at Bidar and performed prayers as per the Hindu rituals.
Bidar police have registered a case against 60 people and arrested four of them on charges of entering a Madrasa-cum-mosque in old Bidar city forcibly and performing the prayers, when a procession of Bhavani Devi was passing in front of the Madrasa. The incident that has occurred in an otherwise peaceful Bidar city ahead of the assembly election next year in Karnataka has disturbed a large section of minority community.
According to the FIR, a big group entered the Madrasa allegedly by breaking open the gate and later performed prayers inside, shouting slogans. The Bhavani Devi procession is taken out every year, however, no incident like this has occurred earlier.
A video footage of the people leaving the procession and entering the premises of 15th century ASI-protected Mahmood Gawan monument, where a Madrasa and Mosque are located has gone viral on social media.
“The mob entered the Madrasa cum Masjid illegally by breaking the lock and threatening the security persons. It is the same group of people engaged in disturbing peace and harmony in the peaceful Bidar city, shouting anti nation slogans with an intent of provoking ethnic tension,” Mohammad Shafiyogiddin Mohammad Bismilla (69) and others have stated in the police complaint. “A police jeep was at the spot and the police instead of preventing the crowd remained mute spectators,” the complaint has stated further.
Meanwhile, several people staged a dharna in front of Town Police station demanding stringent action against the culprits, after which the police have assured of initiating stringent measures against those illegally entering the protected monument.
