The ‘Srirangapatna Chalo’ programme of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindutva groups to lay siege to the 18 th century mosque in the island town and perform puja was thwarted by the Mandya district authorities on May 4.
While a prohibitory order under Section 144 was in force since June 3 evening, the police had posted personnel in Srirangapatna, and the road leading to the mosque was out of bounds for the general public, forcing the activists to stage an agitation on the outskirts of the town. Roads within the town were barricaded and a large posse of police personnel were omnipresent.
