Contrasting mood during Ganesha festival - tale of two Idgah maidans in Karnataka

There was thick security cover at the Idgah ground in Hubballi on Wednesday and so was the scene at the one in the state capital.

However, Hubballi Idgah maidan in north Karnataka wore a festive look with a four feet Ganesha idol installed at a Pandal there. Amid the chanting of Vedic hymns, right-wing leader and Sriram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik performed the special prayers to Lord Ganesha. The photographs of Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar were conspicuous at the Pandal. For the next three days, the idol of Ganesha will remain in Hubballi Idgah ground as per the permission given by the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC), which was upheld by the Karnataka High Court.

In contrast, at the Idgah maidan at Chamarajpet here, at least 10 contingents of Karnataka State Reserved Police and senior police officers were deployed to ensure that there was no one other than them on the ground till the Ganesha festival is over. “We will not allow anyone to disturb peace here. The Supreme Court’s order on Idgah maidan in Chamarajpet (Bengaluru) will be strictly followed,” a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity. The High Court on Tuesday allowed organising Ganesha Pooja and accordingly, Muthalik installed Ganesha idol under a pandal in Hubballi early in the morning. However, the apex court disallowed Ganesha Pooja at Idgah Maidan in Bengaluru by ordering a status quo. A Hindu Janajagruti Samithi member said, “Throughout the next three days we will keep conducting Bhajans at the Pandal (at Hubballi).”