JOIN USOffice-bearers of Sri Huliyamma Temple, Kyatamaranahalli in the city, have welcomed the recent decision of the Cabinet sub-committee of the State government to drop the charges against innocent people, who had been booked for various communal clashes in the State.
Addressing media persons, here, on Saturday, Dodda Yajaman of the temple J Venkatesh said, “In Mysuru too, two such riots, called as ‘Udaygiri clashes’, were witnessed in a short span of four months in the year 2009. On April 1, 2009, people belonging to two different communities were incited after the carcass of a piglet was found on the premises of a place of worship belonging to different communities. A total of 34 cases were booked with FIR registered against 34 persons including 12 members of Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD). Another such incident was witnessed on July 2, 2009, with cases booked against 149 persons belonging to two communities at Udaygiri police station.
When a mammoth protest rally was taken out, condemning the alleged police high-handedness, on July 9, the same year, the police caned the agitators besides lobbing of teargas shells. The police booked the cases against 162 agitators, including passersby and innocents, citing violation of ban orders”.
Reacting to media queries, Venkatesh said, though it was an outsiders’ act, innocent people had to bear the brunt.
Kyatamaranahalli is contiguous, with areas dominated by Muslim population. Yet, both Hindus and Muslims have been living in harmony, except for the aforementioned incidents that challenged the cordial atmosphere in the location, said Venkatesh.
Huliyamma Temple has devotees, irrespective of communities, including Muslims, who opt for talisman provided at the temple during distress.
Corporator H N Srikantaiah, who was one of the victims of the clash, as a mob damaged his house, thanked N R MLA Tanveer Sait for exerting pressure on the State government in this regard. Srikantaiah, also an ex-mayor, thanked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for considering the repeated requests.