KARWAR: Bhatkal town is limping back to normal after tension prevailed over a protest staged by Hindu activists who were prevented by taluk officials from repainting a ‘Devinagar’ signboard. The authorities had also removed a flag pole that was being installed near the board.
Krishna Naik, a local Hindu activist, told, “Every year, after Sankranti, we repaint the board. We installed a pole to paint it, but the local officers removed the pole following a complaint by a Muslim group.” The activists called off their protest after the tahsildar asked them to submit a memorandum to repaint the ‘Devinagar’ signboard in Jali Panchayat limits.
However, the protesters said they have set a deadline up to January 22, so that the Pran Prathista programme at Ayodhya is not disturbed.The protesters were pacified by the tahsildar and the police who assured them that the panchayat will take an appropriate decision.
The activists alleged that the decision of the officials is based on a complaint by a mosque, Makkah Masjid, adjacent to the place. They alleged that the mosque is illegal as permission was granted only to run a madrasa.
The activists called off the protest on Wednesday, but on Thursday said they are doing it to avoid any disturbance ahead of the grand Ram Mandir inauguration. “We will wait till the Pran Prathista at Ayodhya. We have submitted a memorandum demanding to to repaint the board as done annually and the encroachment (by the mosque) should be removed”.