The Karnataka state government is determined to resolve the long-standing dispute over the Bababudangiri Dargah in Chikkamagaluru district, Home Minister G Parameshwara announced in Bengaluru on Wednesday, January 22. The Sufi shrine has been caught in a legal dispute after Hindutva groups started claiming that the dargah was a Hindu place of worship.
After a meeting with elected representatives and religious leaders, Parameshwara emphasized the government’s commitment to peace and harmony. “Karnataka has a good name in the country. We will not let this issue drag further. Peace and harmony should be maintained. The government has decided to solve this issue permanently,” he stated, according to a press release.
He said that the disputed dargah was a symbol of harmony in Karnataka.
The Guru Dattareya Bababudan Swamy Dargah is located on the Chandra Drona hill in Chikkamagalur district. Records from the early 20th century from Mysuru kingdom and later the colonial and post-independence periods show that the site was always identified as a “Mohammedan” institution.
According to a report in Frontline, the legal history of the shrine started in 1975, when a dispute arose between the Wakf Board and the Muzrai department on who should administer the Dargah. The Chikkamagalur district court ruled in favour of the Muzrai Department as the shrine was revered by both Hindus and Muslims, and the decision was later upheld by the Karnataka High Court and the Supreme Court.
Since the late 1980s Hindutva groups have attempted to Hinduise the shrine. It took a legal turn in 2003 when a Hindutva body, Sri Guru Dattatreya Peetha Samvardhana Samithi entered the scene and challenged the High Court ruling and sought a fresh inquiry. More legal developments followed, along with agitations by Hindutva groups.
Parameshwara said that the government has made many attempts to resolve the issue and both Hindus and Muslims have approached the courts. The government had constituted committees and sub-committees to inspect records and the findings had been submitted to the court, but some people had approached the Supreme Court.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had formed a cabinet sub-committee which has met four times and put together the records which have been submitted to the court.
Minister Parameshwara said that on January 7, the Supreme Court had directed the state government to make its submission by March 24. Next week, the sub-committee would submit its findings, along with the opinions of elected representatives and religious leaders to the court. “We will then follow the decision of the Supreme Court,” he said.