Dakshina Kannada District Electoral Officer (DEO) and Deputy Commissioner M.R. Ravi Kumar ordered postponement of the Ajjavara-Menala Makham Urs and religious discourse scheduled from April 28 to May 3 at the Dargah Sharief in the village in Sullia taluk. The order was issued on April 27.
Though the Sullia tahsildar had given conditional permission for the event, the Puttur Assistant Commissioner reported to the DC that the land on which the Urs was proposed to be conducted is under dispute between Hindus and Muslims. A writ petition by the Ajjavara-Menala Jamath Committee on the issue is pending before the High Court of Karnataka. Earlier, use of the land for religious purposes had led to tension in the area, the AC had said.
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Mr. Ravi Kumar, in his order, said if the Urs was allowed to be conducted on the disputed land, there are chances of communal strife, which might spread across Dakshina Kannada district, thereby impeding the ongoing election process to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Therefore, he directed the committee to postpone the Urs celebrations and the discourse.
The committee had sought permission to conduct the programme on the land in Survey No. 155/2AB2 from April 28 to May 3. Upon examination of the documents, it was found the 13.46 acre was the kaana land of an adjacent patta land. Portions of the plot were earmarked for construction of government buildings.
The police reported that there was communal tension in the area since 2015 with regard to the Urs and celebrations by Hindus. Attempts by a few political leaders to construct a compound wall around the government land were thwarted by the authorities concerned, the Assistant Commissioner reported.
