Puttur: groups clash at Bhajana Mandir premises; 4 hospitalized

Puttur: Four persons were reportedly injured in a group clash at a Bhajana Mandir at Doddakdain Aryapu village here on Sunday.

The fight broke out while cleaning the surroundings of the Bhajana Mandir over a land dispute, local media reported. Both the groups filed counter complaints against each other at the Puttur rural Police station.

The injured were identified as Sarojini (59), wife of Doddadka Kogga Acharya of the same village, her son Narayana (35), Poovakka Naika (44) and his wife premalaths (40). They have been hospitalised for treating the injuries sustained.

According to the report, there was a dispute over the ownership of th eland of the Bhajana Mandir. As per Narayana, one of the injured in the incident, the land where the mandir is built was allotted to the family in 1991 un der Akrama Sakrama scheme. His father, Kogga Acharya built the mandir on this land and allowed people in the area to hold worships. However, a Bhajana mandali was later formed and it used the land for their personal use, Naryana was quoted as saying.

Narayana further added that on Sunday a group of 50 people arrived at the spot, when his mother Sarojini questioned them and asked them to leave the private property. The group headed by Poovakka Naika and his wife Premalatha beat up his mother and tried to kill her, he said and added that the group also assulted them with wooden sticks.

Poovakka Naika, ainjured fromt he other group, had a different version of the events that transpired. According to him the anniversary celebrations of the bhajana mandir werer planned for April 29. The group was cleaning the surroundings in preparations for the big event. He alleged that Sarojini, NArayana, poojashree and Deepa picked a fight with the group and assulted them.

Meanwhile, police have taken up the investigation into the matter.