HUBBALLI: In an early morning operation, the district administration, the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) and the police on Wednesday razed a dargah which was in the way of the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) corridor between Hubballi and Dharwad.
The BRTS was envisaged to ensure faster travel between the twin cities, but the Hazrat Syed Mahmud Shah Khadri dargah at Byridevarakoppa came in the way of the corridor. Several attempts to evict it had failed. Muslim leaders had even gone to the Karnataka High Court and after detailed hearing, the court ruled in favour of the BRTS and allowed clearing of the dargah.
The operation began at 5 am and the place was completely barricaded from public view. A large posse of police personnel were also posted to prevent any untoward incident. The building was razed using an excavator and the graves were shifted elsewhere using a crane in the presence of Muslim religious leaders. Prohibitory orders were also imposed in a 500-metre radius of the dargah and the road was closed to traffic, which was diverted through other routes.
The media was barred from telecasting the clearance operation and people living in houses around the dargah were warned not to climb rooftops and take pictures or videos. For the purpose of security arrangements, five DCPs/ACPs, 12 inspectors, 15 sub-inspectors, 250 constables, KSRP, RAF and CAR contingents were deployed.
Meanwhile, some local Congress leaders, including Prasad Abbayya and Altaf Hallur, have claimed that the BJP had resorted to the action ahead of the election to polarise voters. They added that the action had hurt the sentiments of a particular community. Youth Congress leader Rajat Ullagaddimath also shared images on social media crticising the action and stating that the BRTS was a failed project.