Claim over mosque: Police thwart VHP’s ‘Srirangapatna Chalo’ programme 

Hindutva activists reiterate demand for video survey of Jamia Masjid in Srirangapatna in Mandya district

The ‘Srirangapatna Chalo’ programme of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindutva groups to lay siege to the 18 th century mosque in the island town and perform puja was thwarted by the Mandya district authorities on May 4.

While a prohibitory order under Section 144 was in force since June 3 evening, the police had posted personnel in Srirangapatna, and the road leading to the mosque was out of bounds for the general public, forcing the activists to stage an agitation on the outskirts of the town. Roads within the town were barricaded and a large posse of police personnel were omnipresent.

As a result of the precautionary measures, traffic movement on the busy Bengaluru-Mysuru highway was not affected.

Authorities had denied permission for organising a rally or a procession in Srirangapatna as a precautionary measure.

About 200 VHP activists and members of other Hindutva groups assembled at Kirangur Junction near Cauvery Bridge North, beyond which their entry was barred. They staged a dharna and aired slogans besides singing bhajans and intermittently raised incendiary slogans.

The local leaders of the VHP claimed that they are yet to get a reply to a memorandum submitted in May to the Deputy Commissioner of Mandya seeking clarification on the status of the monument.