Hundreds of Muslims take to the streets demanding the arrest of the culprits. Police officials pledge to apprehend them within three days
BENGALURU — Tension prevailed in Santibastwad village in Karnataka’s Belagavi after copies of the Holy Qur’an and other Islamic books were found desecrated near a mosque under construction.
Hundreds of Muslims took to the streets in Belagavi on Monday evening to protest the reported desecration of Islamic scriptures. Demonstrators demanded swift action against those responsible, media reports said on Tuesday.
Santibastwad village is about ten kilometres from Belagavi city.
The protest was sparked after worshippers discovered the texts missing during morning prayers. A search led to the charred remains of the copies of the Qur’an and two Hadith books found in a nearby field.
The crowd, including residents from both Santibastwad and Belagavi city, raised religious slogans and marched to the deputy commissioner’s office, calling for the immediate arrest of those responsible. Attempts by local police to calm the demonstrators were initially unsuccessful.
The demonstration lasted approximately two hours and was called off after police officials pledged to apprehend the culprits within three days, reports said.
Belagavi Police Commissioner Iada Martin Marbanian said after the desecration was detected, “several people from various mosques in Belagavi taluk held protests in their respective places.”
He further said that the protestors, mainly from Santibastwad, Peeranwadi, Machche and nearby areas, attempted to march into Belagavi city to submit a memorandum to the district administration. However, they were stopped en route and permitted to demonstrate along the Belagavi-Goa state highway, near the Visvesvarayya Technological University (VTU), where traffic was disrupted for over two hours, he said.
Yusuf Mujawar, a resident of the village, said the mosque’s CCTV system had been removed for repairs just a day earlier and suggested the perpetrators were likely aware of this.
He urged authorities to identify and punish those responsible. Mujawar also criticised local leaders for not visiting the site, alleging political neglect of the Muslim community.
Local police are currently investigating the incident.
