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Muslims stalls not allowed at Shivamogga festival after protest by BJP, others
The Shivamogga festival committee has decided not to give tenders to Muslim shopkeepers during the five-day Kote Marikamba Jatra festival after protests by BJP and others.
The committee accepted the demands made by leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bajrang Dal, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The group had demanded that shopkeepers belonging to the Hindu community be allowed to open stalls during the festival.
Kote Marikamba Jatre, held once in two years, attracts lakhs of people from neighbouring cities and districts, irrespective of caste and religion. The last time it was held was in February 2020.
BJP leaders and others were reportedly adamant that no Muslim be allowed to do business during the festival.
According to sources, the tender was initially allotted to an individual who would manage the shops and also collect fees. All this was to add up to nine lakh rupees. The committee had a meeting a few days ago wherein Hindutva groups demanded that only Hindus be allowed to open up stalls in and around the temple. These stalls in fact serve as an important source of income for the temple and Muslim businessmen were also part of previous festivals.
The tender was finally given to a Bajrang Dal activist to open up stalls. They claim that those who have faith in the religion should be present and do business.
Sources also said that the decision was taken allegedly because of the recent murder of Harsha, a Hindutva activist in Shivamogga.
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What monkey fled with a bag containing evidence in it: Read full story
The court, generally, considers a person who commit a crime and the one who destroys the evidence, as criminals in the eyes of law. But what if an animal destroys the evidence of a crime committed by a human.
In a peculiar incident in Rajasthan, a monkey fled away with the evidence collected by the police in a murder case. The stolen evidence included the murder weapon (a blood-stained knife).
The incident came to light when the police appeared before the court and they had to provide the evidence in the hearing.
The hearing was about the crime which took place in September 2016, in which a person named Shashikant Sharma died at a primary health center under Chandwaji police station. After the body was found, the deceased’s relatives blocked the Jaipur-Delhi highway, demanding an inquiry into the matter.
Following the investigation, the police had arrested Rahul Kandera and Mohanlal Kandera, residents of Chandwaji in relation to the murder. But, when the time came to produce the evidence related to the case, it was found that the police had no evidence with them because a monkey had stolen it from them.
In the court, the police said that the knife, which was the primary evidence, was also taken by the monkey. The cops informed that the evidence of the case was kept in a bag, which was being taken to the court.
The evidence bag contained the knife and 15 other important evidences. However, due to the lack of space in the malkhana, a bag full of evidence was kept under a tree, which led to the incident.