Security bolstered near Mangaluru mosque over claims of temple

Security was heightened near a mosque in Karnataka’s Mangaluru, a day after Hindu organisations claimed that remains of a temple were found there last month, police said on Wednesday.

Mangaluru police commissioner N Shashi Kumar has issued prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) within 500-metre radius of the Asayyid Abdullahil Madani Dargah situated at Malali near Ganjimutt till Thursday 8am.

The order prohibiting five or more people near the mosque came after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) claimed that a temple-like design was discovered during the renovation work of the dargah on April 21.

According to the police, photographs of what appears to be a ‘kalasha’ (spire), ‘tomara’ (pillar) and poles resembling a temple were circulated on social media soon after the front portion of the dargah was demolished for renovation work, undertaken by the mosque authority.

On Wednesday, the VHP performed ‘Tambula Prashne’ rituals, claiming it would prove “whether a temple existed at the spot”. The outfit also roped in Kerala-based astrologer GP Gopalakrishna Panicker to conduct the rituals, police said.