Sankeertana Yatra held at Srirangapatna amid tight security

MYSURU A large number of Hanuman devotees marched through the streets of Srirangapatna on Sunday dur

A large number of Hanuman devotees marched through the streets of Srirangapatna on Sunday during the Sankeertana Yatra organised by Hindu Jagran Vedike to mark Hanuma Jayanti celebrations.

The yatra, which was held amid tight police security, passed off peacefully, barring a futile bid by a devotee to jump across the barricade erected around the historic Jamia Masjid in the town.

“It was a small issue and the police handled it properly,” said Inspector-General of Police, Southern Range, Praveen Madhukar Pawar. He said the volunteers among the organisers helped the police in preventing the security breach.

Hundreds of police personnel had been deployed in the town since the last two days, while 24 CCTV cameras, 20 hand-held cameras and two surveillance drones monitored the crowds to ensure fool-proof security, he said.

A large number of Hanuman devotees descended on the historical town on Sunday, attired in saffron robes and wearing shawls before taking out a march from Anjaneyaswamy Temple at Ganjam that passed through the streets of Srirangapatna before culminating at the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. The roads, lanes, and circles in the town sported saffron flags and banners. A public function was held near Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple after the conclusion of the Sankeertana Yatra.

The area around the Jamia Masjid, which is an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) property, was heavily barricaded by the police to ensure law and order in the backdrop of the Hindutva groups staking claim over the place of worship by contending that it was Hanuman temple earlier. A large posse of police was deployed around the Jamia Masjid to prevent any unauthorised entry while check-posts had been erected at the entry and exit points of the town.

The Mandya district police, led by Superintendent of Police Yathish N., had held peace meetings with the organisers before the yatra and they had been told to maintain peace during the event.