D. Randeep, Deputy Commissioner and also District Magistrate said that failure to stick to the scheduled time of procession and scheduled route by the Hanuma Jayanti committee caused tension in Hunsur on Sunday. He said that the Hanuma Jayanti procession was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and did not commence even after noon. The crowd at the Manjunatha Swamy Temple and the district administration had heard that the committee might deviate from the planned route.
Fearing that untoward incidents might arise, the district administration tried to disperse the mob. The police had to resort to mild lathicharge to do so, the DC said. Some preventive arrests were also made.
The committee did not lift the Anjaneya idol from the temple and take out the procession despite repeated appeals from the district administration.
The committee told the DC that they would lift the idol after their leader Pratap Simha, MP, Mysuru, arrived. But once the crowd numbered 10,000, the district administration dispersed the people to ensure that law and order was not disturbed.
The DC maintained that he and other senior officials held several rounds of discussions with the two committees – Hanuma Jayanthi committee and Id Milad committee – in the past month and discussed the route. There were separate routes for Hanuma Jayanthi and Id Milad.
However members of Hanuma committee had appealed for modifications a few days ago. The administration said it could not be changed at the the last minute and told the committee to appeal to the Home Secretary.
The committee appealed to the Home Secretary who upheld the administration’s decision. The DC said he had also appealed to Mysuru MP Pratap Simha to him to co-operate with the administration.
