Tensions escalated on the religious day of Mahashivratri on Tuesday, 1 March, when both Hindu and Muslim communities wanted to share access to the Ladle Mashak Dargah on the same day in the Aland town of Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district, resulting in rioting and stone pelting.
As many as 165 people have been arrested for rioting, damage to public property and injury to police personnel following the riots over the shared shrine, reported news agency ANI on Thursday, 3 March.
Isha Pant, Superintendent of Police, said, “We've not lodged anything against a particular community.”
As per an Indian Express report, five First Information Report (FIRs) have been registered against the people from the Muslim community for allegedly throwing stones and displaying weapons against members of a right wing organisation Sree Rama Sene to gain entry to the Ladle Mashak dargah on Monday.
The police had placed prohibitory orders from 27 February to 3 March in the region.
The Background
The right-wing outfit Sree Rama Sene wanted to conduct the ‘purification’ of the Raghava Chaitanya Shivalinga to mark Maha Shivaratri while Muslims planned a procession to mark Shab-e-Barat to pay respects to the dead on the same day.
To avoid conflict on the religious day, the police restricted access to the dargah on 1 March and imposed prohibitory orders in Aland.
However, local BJP leaders, including Union Minister Bhagwanth Kumbha, marched to the dargah on Tuesday. After learning about the attempt made by the right-wing groups to gain access to the dargah, Muslims also gathered near the site, after which violence between the two groups escalated.
'Small Groups of Both Communities Will Be Allowed'
Aland's Deputy Superintendent of Police, Veeraya Hiremath, said, “The tensions occurred due to the insistence of some right-wing groups on holding a purification. We called for a peace meeting and it was agreed to allow small groups from both communities to access the dargah.”
Officials said that the decision was not welcomed by all, except the leaders of both communities. The DSP added, “The vehicles of the IGP, the DC, and many other police officials were stoned in the tension on Tuesday.”
Hiremath refuted reports which claimed that two people died during the riots. He said, "There is some false propaganda happening around deaths that occurred due to natural causes.”
(With inputs from ANI, Indian Express)
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