Karnataka: Dussehra crowd enters madrasa in Bidar, performs pooja, 9 booked
Karnataka: Dussehra crowd enters madrasa in Bidar, performs pooja, 9 booked
m.u.h
07/10/2022303
Nine persons were booked and four arrested in Karnataka’s Bidar district Thursday after a group of people from the local Dussehra procession barged into the Mahmud Gawan madrasa and performed pooja, police said.
After a video of the crowd performing pooja inside the madrasa went viral, members of the Muslim community held a protest outside the local police station seeking action against the accused.
They also alleged the madrasa structure was damaged as the mob broke a coconut during the pooja. The police, however, did not confirm the allegation. Additional Superintendent of Police, Mahesh Meghannavar told reporters the nine were booked on charges of trespassing into the heritage structure illegally.
Senior police officials assured the protesters of stringent action against the perpetrators
The nine persons were booked on the basis of a complaint filed by one Syed Mubhashir Ali at Market Police Station.
The madrasa is a heritage building maintained by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI). Built in the 1460s, the ancient structure reflects the regional style of Indo-Islamic architecture under the Bahmani Sultanate. The heritage structure is placed under the list of monuments of national importance.
Following the incident, police were deployed in strength outside the madrasa, officials said.