Security has been increased across the State as a precautionary measure against communal disturbance on Wednesday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform ‘bhoomi puja’ for the Ram temple at Ayodhya.
Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, presently under home quarantine after Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa tested positive for COVID-19, held a security review meeting with senior police officials through videoconference on Tuesday.
A senior police officer said while there has been an Intelligence alert from the Union government, it is a general alert issued to all States of possible communal disturbances around the bhoomi pooja event.
“We have taken all precautionary measures and deployed reserve police force at most of the communally sensitive areas,” the official said.
No group has been given permission to either stage a protest or a victory march, sources said. Local police have been authorised to take a call and impose prohibitory orders in towns that have a history of communal clashes over the Ayodhya issue. For instance, prohibitory orders have been imposed in Bhatkal town, which saw communal violence in the wake of Babri Masjid demolition.
Eight invitees from State
Eight Hindu religious leaders and seers from Karnataka are among the invitees to the event. The invitees include Sri Ravi Shankar, of Art of Living, one of the three members of the Supreme Court appointed mediation committee that failed to broker an out of court settlement for the dispute and Vishwa Prasanna Teertha swami of Udupi Pejawar mutt, successor to Vishveshwara Teertha swami who played a key role in the Ramjanmabhoomi movement. Other invitees include Vidhushekhara Bharati swami of Sringeri mutt, Veerendra Heggade of Dharmasthala, Niramalananda swami of Adichunchunagiri mutt, Shivaratri Deshikendra Mahaswami of Suttur mutt, Madara Chennayya swami of Chitradurga and Madhu Pandit Dasa, chairman, ISKCON, Bengaluru. Most of the invitees have already reached Ayodhya, sources said.
