Ballari (Karnataka) – A pilgrimage is held at Sri Raghavendra Swamy’s Muth in Mantralaya, Andhra Pradesh. An incident involving an attempted religious conversion of devotees enroute to the Mantralaya pilgrimage occurred near Siraguppa in Bellary district. The incident led to a case being registered at the Tekkalakote Police station. In connection with the case, the police have arrested a Muslim named Hussain Bhasha while another is absconding. It is reported that on 18th July, the accused pair attempted to convert pilgrims to Islam who were travelling on foot to Mantralaya by telling them about the importance of Islam.
When the incident occurred, three pilgrims were going to Mantralaya via the Siruguppa National Highway. Hussain Bhasha (44) and Sai Baba (24) from Tekkalakote town tried to convert the pilgrims. The accused reportedly preached about Islam to the devotees, who were carrying saffron flags as they walked towards the temple. Gadilingappa, one of the pilgrims, filed a complaint at the Tekkalakote Police station. He also captured footage on his mobile phone, documenting the incident where individuals of another religion were seen questioning their Guru.
Editorial Perspective
It is not surprising that such incidents have increased in the last couple of years in Karnataka ! |