Security was beefed up in Srirangapatna in view of the Hanuma Maladharane procession organized by the Mysore division of Hindu Jagran Vedic on Thursday.
The area around the Masjid-e-Ala, built during Tipu Sultan’s period, was barricaded and was out of bounds for the public as a precaution.
The measure stemmed from apprehensions and concerns expressed by members of the minority community and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) that there was a conspiracy to demolish or damage the historic mosque during the incident.
Inciting slogans were raised in the procession but strong police force ensured that no law and order incident took place. Although three men are said to have been video-recording the procession, a section of Vedike members forced the police to intervene and evacuate them safely.
Around 1,000 policemen, including about 100 policemen in plain clothes to mingle with the crowd, were deployed as a security measure, while a few more police platoons were on standby. The security was supervised by Mandya SP N. Yatheesh and included 5 DYSPs, 14 units of District Armed Reserve, 5 platoons of Karnataka State Reserve Police and one unit of Quick Response Team (QRT).
Security concerns were due to posters appearing in the town a few days ago, announcing the Hanuma Maladharna event but also carrying an image of the mosque. Though members of Vedik claimed that the apprehensions of the SDPI and other leaders were baseless, the police took no chances and their presence was felt in every nook and corner of the city.
The Hanuma Maladharane procession attracted members of the Hindu Jagran Vedic and devotees from Mysore, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Hassan and Madikeri. The procession started from Ganjam and went through the fort and narrow lanes to reach the venue near the Sriranganathaswamy temple.
Locals said the procession during Hanuman Jayanti was a regular affair, but it attracted attention with posters and social media messages expressing apprehensions for the safety of the mosque. So the security was also tighter than in the earlier years, he said.
Police said the deployment will be in place till the participants return to their respective hometowns.
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