Holy relics of Muslims, the Quran and Hadith, were stolen and burned from a Mosque at Santibastawad village in Belgavi, Karnataka. The local Muslims, after early morning prayers, found out that the Quran and Hadith books were missing. The mosque staff later found them in the nearby area adjacent to the mosque, ‘desecrated and burned’.
This is the third incident in recent times, where the Quran has gone missing and got descreated. Despite the Muslim youth and locals reporting the earlier two such incidents, police have taken no such action until now.
The incident has led to a massive protest demanding the arrest of the accused at the earliest. One of the local residents said that there is a chance that the miscreants knew about the need for new CCTV cameras and they had particularly chosen the location.
The police intervened and asked the people to call off the protests, but the youth did not pay heed.
People from different mosques across Belgavi Taluk gathered to march and submit a memorandum to the District Commissioner at the district administration. However, they were denied permission.
The protestors then chose to demonstrate along the Belagavi-Goa state near the Visvesvaraya Institute of Technological University.
The Muslim community and the youth in the region allege that the Police neglect the community’s problems in the region.
Satish Jarkiholi, Minister of Public Works Department of Karnataka, said that there should have been CCTV cameras at the mosque. He added that the Police have registered a case, and the investigation is ongoing.
People from nearby villages other than Santibasthiwadi, like Peeranwadi and Machche, also came to participate, demanding the arrest of the culprits.
Police Commissioner Lada Martin Marbaninag DCP Rohan Jagadish visited the site, arranged a peace meeting today and assured a lookout for the culprits.
Police have tightened security in the region in the wake of the protest.
One of the representatives from the community told The Observer Post that if the Police do not arrest the culprits in three days, they are planning to put further pressure on the police or could go on a blockade.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA Asif Raju Seth condemned the incident and addressed the protests, saying that the Police have assured to catch the culprits in two days. He also added that both Hindu and Muslim saints have lived in the region. “I am a Muslim, I follow Islam as my religion, and I respect each other’s religions.” He further asserted.
