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Advani announces measures to protect Karnataka shrine

Elaborate arrangements have been made to protect the controversial Bababudan Giri shrine atop a hill, 30 km from Chikmagalur in Karnakata, Home Minister L K Advani informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Making a statement to the controversy over the shrine, he said, Chikmagalur district authorities had also imposed prohibitory orders within the 10-km radius around the shrine to ensure that nothing is done to disturb the secular character of the religious place.

Besides all precautionary measures, including the deployment of state reserve platoons, the central police force had also been deployed to prevent any untoward incident from December 1 to 7.

Advani said the Union government was in constant touch with the state government and developments were being monitored.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal had announced that they would lead suicide squads from four directions to liberate the shrine where Hindus observe Guru Dattatreya Jayanti every year from December 1 to 3. Advani said the observance of the Jayanti had started on Tuesday peacefully and he was hopeful that other two days would pass in the same fashion.

Advani said the shrine, which was under the control of the religious and charitable endowment department of the government of Karnataka, was considered sacred by both the Hindus and the Muslims. The shrine is a unique example of Hindu-Muslim harmony, he added.

The Muslims had the belief that the shrine contained the mortal remains of a Muslim peer, Baba Budhan. They visit the shrine to commemorate the burial of the saint, celebrate Urs at the site three days every year in the month of Rabi-ul Avval, the third month of the Islamic calendar.

For the Hindus, it is the shrine of Guru Dattatreya and they accordingly call it Dattatreya Peetha. The Hindus observe Dattatreya Jayanti every year at the site during Kartik Poornima celebrations and also during festivals, he informed.

The home minister said the Hindus had been granted rights by the Karnataka high court to perform puja three days during Kartik Poornima every year.

He also informed that an attempt was made some time back to have it declared as Waqf property but the Supreme Court had ruled in 1991 that the shrine did not belong to the Waqf Board.

UNI

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