MANGALURU: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members have started putting up saffron flags in front of all Hindu traders’ shops at the Mangaladevi temple, days after a controversy over a ban on Muslim merchants at a fair ended.
VHP Dakshina Kannada district president HK Purushothama Dattanagara said all temples in the district should allow only Hindu merchants to conduct business during festivals. “We thank the management committee of Mangaladevi temple for giving the opportunity to Hindu merchants to conduct business during the festival. However, it was not right on part of the district administration to hand over stalls to non-Hindus in a re-auction,” Dattanagara added.
The Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district festival traders coordination committee had held a protest in the city on Friday, demanding stalls for Muslim merchants, too, during the Navratri fair. Later, a few Muslim traders were allowed to participate through an auction of spots.
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