The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) issued a notice to Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) to remove the contentious dome-shaped roof of a bus shelter in Mysuru. In the letter dated November 15, NHAI said that the construction of the bus shelter had given rise to communal issues in the area.
NHAI further said that their engineers had stopped the construction work of the bus shelter many times. It also said that the controversial issue surrounding the bus shelter was unacceptable. “Accordingly, a week’s time has been given to remove the controversial structure,” the notice stated. This comes days after Mysuru MP Pratap Simha of BJP stirred up a controversy over the bus shelter with a dome-like design on its roof. Simha threatened to pull down the shelter's roof – which he compared to a mosque – if the concerned officials did not do so. The visuals show three dome-shaped structures on top of the bus shelter.
While addressing a gathering at a cultural event in the city on Sunday, November 13, Simha had said, “I have seen images on social media of a bus stand on which there were gumbaz (domes). At the centre, there was a big gumbaz and besides that, there were two smaller gumbaz… it is a masjid. I have asked Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited engineers to remove it within 3-4 days, or else I have told them that I will bulldoze it with a JCB.” The bus stop is situated on Mysuru-Ooty main road in the Krishnaraja assembly constituency of Mysuru.
In response to the call for demolition, Krishnaraja MLA Ramdas also of BJP, said that the roof was made to imitate the Mysuru Palace. He further said that he had requested the state government to form an expert committee to review the bus shelter and that he had no objections if the committee suggested any changes.
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticised Pratap Simha and said, “Such people generate animosity in society with their words. Being an MP, he shouldn't have made such statements.” He further pointed out that there was a lot of difference between Indo-Saracenic architecture and Islamic architecture.