Idgah Maidan: Police books right-wing man on objectionable comments

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Police booked a right-wing activist for making comments, promoting enmity between religious groups and hurting religious sentiments. The person had issued threats about tearing down a prayer wall located at a disputed Idgah maidan in Bengaluru's Chamarajpet area, The Indian Expres reported.

S Bhaskaran, president of the Vishwa Santana Parishat, was booked after he made the problematic comments after Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) recently pronounced that the Idgah Maidan belongs to the state government instead of the Wakf board.

The Idgah Maidan is a playground in Chamarajpet, which was being used by the Muslim community during special occasions for prayers. The community using the space for that had become a controversy recently, and right-wing outfits demanded hoisting the national flag on the ground on Independence Day. Subsequently, local Muslims also wanted to hoist the flag there.

In the meantime, ownership of the property became a dispute between the Waqf board and the BBMP. BBMP issued an order on August 6, stating that the maidan is owned by the state and it would decide on its usage by the public.

After this, Bhaskaran demanded the demolition of the prayer wall inside the maidan, and if the state failed to tear it down, his fellow activists would do it just like Babari Masjid was demolished.

Chamarajpet Police registered a case against Bhaskaran based on his statements on Tuesday.