BENGALURU: During Dussehra celebrations in Karnataka's Bidar, a crowd broke into the madrasa and performed pooja. The mob invaded the premises of the historic Mahmood Gawan Madrasa and chanted slogans. Built in the 1460s, the madrasa is under the Archaeological Survey of India. The madrasa is also included in the list of monuments of national importance. The Bidar police have registered a case against nine people in the incident, but no one has been arrested so far. Muslim organisations have warned of agitation if the culprits are not arrested immediately. The Muslim activists ended the protest after the police assured them that the accused would be arrested.
The police said that the mob broke the lock of the madrasa and entered it on Wednesday evening. The video of the incident was also circulated. The video shows the crowd entering the madrasa premises, climbing the stairs, shouting slogans, and going to a place to perform pooja. The crowd also tried to enter the building. Many Muslim organisations from Bidar came forward to condemn the incident and demand the arrest of the perpetrators. They also warned that if the accused are not arrested, they will organise a protest after Jumu'ah prayers. Following the incident, police have tightened security in the area. A case was registered against Naresh Gowli, Prakash, Vinu, Manna, Sagar Banti, Jagadish Gowli, Arun Gowli, Gorakh Gowli, and an unknown person following a complaint by Syed Mubashir Ali.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi also came to the scene to protest the incident. He accused the BJP of encouraging such incidents to humiliate Muslims. Some accused the BJP of turning some parts of Karnataka into communal experiments. The criticism pointed to the Hijab controversy. The celebration of Ganesha Chaturthi at the Eidgah Ground in Hubballi was also controversial.
