COIMBATORE: The granting of permission to temporarily set up a mosque in Press Colony near a Hindu temple triggered tensions between members of both communities in Coimbatore. However, government officials diffused the situation on Tuesday by conducting a peace meeting with both parties.
According to officials, recently a temple and a mosque on Mettupalayam Road were demolished to pave way for road expansion.
Based on requests from the minority community, the district administration gave permission to temporarily set up a mosque on a piece of private land, belonging to a community member, till January 12 next year. The petitioners were asked to look for an alternative site by then.
As the site is near a temple, Hindu outfits and some locals opposed the move and staged a protest near the temple on Monday evening. To prevent any untoward incidents, a team of police personnel was deployed in the vicinity.
On Tuesday, a team of officials from revenue and police departments, along with Coimbatore North MLA Arunkumar, conducted a peace meeting and resolved the issue amicably.
"The district administration denied permission for construction of a permanent mosque on the land to ensure communal harmony and avoid tensions in the future. The permission was granted as a temporary arrangement for two months," a revenue official said.
Hindu outfits, police said, claimed that construction of a mosque within 100 metres of a temple is a violation of 1986 government order.
A revenue official referred to a Justice Venugopal commission recommendation and said that prior permission from a district collector is mandatory for construction of any religious structure.
The commission made the recommendation after an inquiry into communal riots in Kanniyakumari in 1982. Following this, the State government passed an order leaving the power to grant said permission with collectors, the official said, adding that the order does not have any mention of a 100 metre-rule, as claimed by the Hindu outfits.
Two officials from the police and another two from revenue departments also said they were not aware of any such a clause.