KALABURAGI: You will have seen shrines and tombs along roadsides, on footpaths and other public places. But shockingly, a mazar sprung up overnight at the most unlikely of places — inside a classroom of a school — at Bandarwada village in Afzalpur taluk of Kalaburagi district.
The gram panchayat had recently some illegal structures including the Basavanna Chowk, the Ambedkar Chowk and Muharram mazar at the Lalsaab masjid in the village. But overnight, the Muharram committee broke open the lock of the school and a classroom and installed the mazar there. They also locked up the classroom.
More surprisingly, the school headmaster brought the issue to the notice of the block education officer, but nothing was done, angering the villagers.
On coming to know of the issue, Siddalinga Swami of Sri Rama Sene declared that if the illegal mazar is not removed within four days, the organisation will take out a ‘Bandarwada Chalo’ agitation.
The district administration, which got to know of the issue, immediately directed the local authorities to remove the illegal structure. A meeting was quickly held with the villagers, the school management committee and the police on Friday and those who had installed the illegal structure themselves were made to remove it and move it out of the school premises.