Chamarajapet maidan row: SanathanaParishat wants no encumbrances

Bengaluru: The row over Chamarajapet public grounds which is also called Idgahmaidan has reached a flashpoint between communities. Leaders of the Vishwa Sanathana Parishat have demanded that all encumbrances that are present on the maidan should be cleared and the Revenue Department should take charge of the maidan allowing all public functions to be held there without any religious symbols.

Vishwa Sanathana Parishat leader Bhaskaran has said an Idgah wall which is built on the maidan gives it religious importance. This wall has to be razed down to restore the normalcy of the government property. He said "if the maidan belongs to the revenue department how and who built the Idgah wall there? Have they got any clearances or licence to build a structure that denotes a particular religion?" he asked.

Muslim leader Mohammad Khalid who has objected to the demands of the Parishat leaders has said "what could an Idgah wall possibly do to the Hindutva activists? The Idgah wall has a history of hundreds of years and Muslims use the maidan and the wall for praying twice a year and it should be left alone. Muslims will allow the Hindus to use the maidan for their functions" Khalid said.

The Parishat and the CharmarajpetNagarikaVokkuta have jointly stated that the Hindu festivals cannot be held there as there is a religious structure that hurts the religious sentiments of the Hindus. Moreover, Muslims can raise several objections about their religious sentiments getting hurt when poojas are performed and an idol of Ganesha was installed there during the GaneshaChaturti. That might lead to clashes of interests between the two communities, this might recur during every festival, so it was better for the maidan to be free of all encumbrances and it is in the interest of the community of Chamarajapet that the Idgah wall should be brought down, they argued.

The Parishat activists have already written a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban district to raze down the Idgah wall. Following the row escalating the police have beefed up the security in and around the maidan.