Across 50,000 temples in Karnataka, the District Collector and District Magistrate in consultation with the temple management have been managing the administration and organising festivals. It has been the norm for years and there has been no issue raised.
However, on Wednesday Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal opposed the mention of Deputy Commissioner AB Ibrahim's name in the invitation card of a function of Mahalingeshwara temple, near Mangaluru.
It's the first time a bureaucrat's name has been dragged into such a debate, the first time, an officer has been targeted because of his religion. Ibrahim, who has attended several meetings with management committee of local temples, is upset with the sudden turn of events.
"This is not the first time my name is in the card, in the last two occasions also my name was there. I have been conducting this kind of temple administrative activities for over 2 years. Nobody has raised such kind of an issue in the past," Ibrahim claimed.
The government has come to the fore to defend the DC. "It is not about caste or creed, it is the post of DC. As DC he is in charge of A grade temples," Minister from Mangalore UT Khader said.
State Home Minister G Parameshwara also claimed such issues are being raised to "create disharmony, nothing else."
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on its part, cites an extract from the Endowments Act, claiming that non-Hindus are not to be part of managing committees of temples. Local MLA Shakuntala Shetty, a new entrant in the Congress from the BJP, had also supported the demand of the right-wing groups, but he later retracted following criticism within the party. The Congress government in the state has stood solidly behind the officer.
Right wing groups have threatened to call a bandh on Saturday if the DC's name is not dropped. However, the bureaucrats are questioning as to why these groups didn't protest when the DC presided over meetings earlier to hike the salaries of temple staff and sanction development funds.
Karnataka has more than 50,000 Hindu temples administered by the state government which come under the Muzrai or the Religious Affairs Department. The Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrates are heads of all Hindu temples which come under the Muzrai department. They are in charge of the administration, but consult the local temple management in the process
The religion of the deputy commissioner has never been an issue in the past. The recent Mysore Dasara procession, for example was led by Mysore Police Commissioner MA Saleem.
The controversy, however, should not come as a surprise. In the last two decades, there have been several instances of outfits like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Sri Rams Sene and Hindu Jagarana Vedike raking up such caste-based issues..
In July, 2012, a right-wing group barged into a party at a homestay, assaulting youngsters inside. They are also known to target Hindu and Muslim boys and girls who hang out together. In 2008, suspected Parivar member bodies had attacked several churches in the region.
They have faced teh backlash too. In 2015, Bajrang Dal worker Prashant Poojary, who was instrumental in shutting down a slaughterhouse, was murdered by workers of the Popular Front of India, a radical Islamic outfit with roots in Kerala.
Political analysts believe the current controversy could be linked to the upcoming polls in Kerala, where the BJP is fighting a battle to open their account. Manjeswaram, the northern most Assembly constituency of that state, has a sizeable BJP presence. Any trouble in Mangaluru, which is close to Manjeswaram, could have a bearing on the campaign.
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