basant-panchami-puja-begins-amid-tight-security-at-mp-s-bhojshala

The Basant Panchami puja began on the premises of the disputed 11th-century Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district in the early hours of Friday amidst heightened security.

The ancient monument became the centre of a controversy when people from both Muslim and Hindu communities asked to be allowed to pray here on January 23 – the day marking the occasion of Basant Panchami, and it being a Friday, when Muslims offer their prayers.

With both Hindu and Muslim communities staking claims for worshipping at the site, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant on Thursday ruled that religious activities will be split on Friday, and the Hindu community will be permitted to perform prayers from sunrise to sunset, while the Muslim community will be allowed to offer namaz between 1 pm and 3 pm. 

 

Early Friday, the historic site was adorned with saffron flags and flowers, and devotees started arriving for darshan from sunrise.

 

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Devotees, along with members of the Basantotsav Samiti, installed the idol of Goddess Saraswati, also known as Maa Vagdevi, performed the aarti and offered oblations in the 'havan kund', marking the beginning of the puja.

A heavy posse of police and paramilitary personnel was deployed in Dhar city and district.

As many as 8,000 security personnel, including district police, Rapid Action Force, CRPF, MP Armed Force, SRPF and women police units, have been deployed around the site, and the administration is also relying on drones and CCTV cameras to ensure that no untoward incident occurs.