Demanding that the encroachment upon the temple pond of Bhavani Shankar and Narayan Temple in Old Hubballi be removed immediately, BJP councillors staging a sit-in in front of the municipal commissioner’s office in Hubballi on Monday.
| Photo Credit: KIRAN BAKALE
Days after a protest by Hindutva outfits led by the BJP to save a temple pond (Pushkarani), Hubballi on Tuesday witnessed a counter protest by Dalit and minority organisations led by the Congress accusing the BJP of politicising a development issue to create Hindu-Muslim divide and incite communal violence.While Congress leader, including Rajat Ullagaddimath, and Gurunath Ullikashi of Samata Sena led the protest to save the road built to benefit the residents around the Bhavani Shankar Temple, Dalit leaders backed by BJP MP Jagadish Shettar addressed a press conference to release historical documents to prove that the Pushkarani existed in the place where the municipal corporation has now laid the road.Releasing excerpts from the Dharwar Gazetteer, edited by James M. Campbell, first published by Bombay Presidency in 1884 and reprinted by the Karnataka Gazetteer Department in 2003, Mr. Shettar said that as per the Gazetteer there was a reservoir near the temple of Bhavani Shankar with water and two sweet water wells called Asarbavdi and Kotarbavdi and seven brackish wells.He was joined by Dalit leader Vijay Guntral in saying that the municipal authorities have laid the road encroaching upon the ancient temple pond (Pushkarani). They said that the road should be removed to restore the temple pond. They said that under the Congress government encroachments upon Hindu religious places have been allowed for the sake of appeasing a section of voters.
