Madrassa Plan Near Temple Sparks Tension

VELLORE: Ambur town, which was witness to arson and rioting only a few weeks ago, was once again brought under a security blanket following simmering tension over a madrassa being constructed near the centuries-old Arulmigu Periya Anjaneyar Kovil near the Bazaar area and Kanthapodikara Street. Protestors objecting to the construction of the madrassa on Monday, allegedly assaulted a youth taking pictures of the protestors after which the protestors moved from Kanthapodikara Street and squatted on the main junction of the Broad Bazaar-Fruit Bazaar continuing their protest.

“A group of Muslims in the vicinity have tried to construct a madrassa in Baby Colony. Following strong protests from the Hindus and Hindu Organisations, it has been successfully stalled in the past,” RDO of Tirupattur, D Rengarajan.

The problem resurfaced on Monday when construction work was noticed. A board with the words- ‘Shamsunisha Arabic Madrasa’ - was erected on the land. On learning about this development, members of the BJP, the Hindu Munnani, RSS and other Hindu organisations along with local residents gathered near the disputed area and staged a protest. The protestors claimed that construction of a madrassa in close proximity to a place of Hindu worship would foment tension and demanded that the work be stopped.

During the protest, a youth, who was later identified as Saifullah (aged about 22 years) of the same area, while he was taking pictures of the protestors was assaulted by a section of the protestors. However, police acted swiftly and rescued the youth and whisked him away. This led to a heated argument between the police and the protestors.

Vaniyambadi DSP, Vanitha and Ambur Tahsildar,  pacified the protestors and appealed for an amicable solution to the problem through peace-talks, following which, protestors withdrew their protest. The RDO of Tirupattur chaired the peace talks. However, the representatives of the Muslim community did not turn up at the scheduled time of 4 p.m.

“We have planned to re-convene the meeting in the coming days,” said the RDO.

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