350 Muslim voters in this Hassan village decide to boycott polls for a graveyard

Agencies

May 2, 2018

Hassan, May 2: Dejected over government’s apathy to grant a land to bury their dead, as many as 85 Muslim families residing in Ramanathapura village of Arkalgud taluk in Hassan district have resolved to boycott the Assembly elections.

The families, with around 350 voters, have been fighting for a burial ground for 10 years. Whenever one of their kin dies, they have to bury the body in neighbouring villages.

The Ramanthapura Jameya Masjid Committee, which met on April 6, took a unanimous decision to boycott the elections. The meeting also took serious exception to Minister for Sericulture and Animal Husbandry A. Manju, MLA for Arkalgud, who had made a promise to grant land for burial ground but failed to keep it.

With no land to bury the dead as per the customs of the religion, the senior members of the community wish to stay put with their children settled in other places, where burial grounds are available.

Munawar, president of the committee, said that in the past 10 years 15 people from the community have died. “Whenever a person died, we prayed that the residents of neighbouring villages would allow us to bury them. How long should we continue to be at the mercy of other villagers?” he asked.

There have been times when neighbouring villagers have refused to allow them to use their burial grounds. The 80-year-old Saidubi died in 2011 and her family had to request residents of the neighbouring village of Konanuru to bury her. But the villagers refused. Her relatives subsequently staged a protest with the dead body in front of the office of the Revenue Department. The taluk administration intervened and pacified the protesters by assuring them of suitable land and allowed the final rites to be held.

Comments

Yes, i fully agree with Mr. on his advice to Muslims not to boycot the election. BJP wants either wasting of Muslim votes by casting to unwanted parties or not to vote. Your boycotting electin may help communal party. Hence please cast your vote to Congress and i hope Congress will do something this time. Congress should consider request of these villages and allot a land to bury their deads. Rejecting demands of people may be costlier to congress. Just promise will not solve the issue. We need firm action. Its Govt job to fulfil demands of public and help them. YOu are being elected by the people and you should serve them. hope the villages will think wisely and will not help communal party to be benefitted.

Dear Muslim brothers

If you Boycott the election BJP will win. If BJP wins, your land and your life will be in danger.

So be smart and vote for Congress.

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Saffron wave sweeps Udupi during PM Modi’s roadshow

coastaldigest.com news network

November 28,2025

Udupi district transformed into a sea of saffron and celebration on Friday, November 28, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow swept through the coastal temple town. Thousands of residents lined the streets, turning the event into a vibrant public spectacle filled with cheers, flags, and festive energy.

The procession route—from the helipad to the historic Sri Krishna Math—was decked with buntings, saffron flags, and multilayered security barricades. One of the district’s largest-ever security deployments was put in place for the high-profile visit, with over 3,000 police personnel on duty. The arrangement included ten SPs, 27 DSPs, 49 inspectors, 127 sub-inspectors, 232 assistant sub-inspectors, 1,608 constables, and 39 women staff.

Six platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police, six Quick Response Teams, bomb detection units, and dog squads were stationed across Udupi. Enhanced surveillance covered Adi Udupi, Bannanje bus stand, and the Sri Krishna Math parking zone, with combing operations carried out along the roadshow corridor.

At the 800-year-old Sri Krishna Math, preparations reached a ceremonial peak. Paryaya Puttige Math seer Sugunendra Teertha Swamiji said the Prime Minister would take part in the Laksha Kantha Geetha Parayana, a mass chanting of the Bhagavad Gita by one lakh devotees, and inaugurate the new Suvarna Teertha Mantapa.

“He will first offer floral tributes to saint-poet Kanakadasa and then unveil the golden covering over the Kanakana Kindi,” the seer said.

The Prime Minister will also receive a Poorna Kumbha welcome and have darshan of Lord Sri Krishna, Mukhyaprana Devaru, and the Suvarna Paduke. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister Bairathi Suresh, Dharmadhikari D. Veerendra Heggade, and seers from the Ashta Maths are expected to join the ceremony.

Ahead of his arrival, the Prime Minister posted on X that he felt “honoured” to attend the spiritually significant gathering. “This is a special occasion that brings together people from different sections of society for a recital of the Gita. This Matha has a very special significance in our cultural life,” he wrote, noting the institution’s long-standing legacy rooted in the teachings of Sri Madhvacharya.

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