A day after installation, CCTV camera damaged at Eidgah

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru

A group of unidentified miscreants allegedly damaged and uprooted one of the CCTV camera poles that were installed at the Eidgah Maidan in Chamarajpet, police said on Sunday. The incident came to light on Sunday morning when the local youths arrived to play cricket on the ground.

The maidan has been in the midst of an ownership controversy with the BBMP recently claiming it had the ownership of disputed land of the Eidgah Maidan, while Central Muslim Association (CMA) claims it has the documents to prove its ownership.

After BBMP made the statement, several rightwing organisations sought permission to hold Yoga Day, Independence Day and Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav events at the maidan, arguing that it belongs to the civic body. To avoid further tensions, the Bengaluru police had installed CCTV cameras at the ground on Saturday.

According to sources, when the civic officials reached the Maidan on Saturday along with an earthmover and started digging a trench to lay cables for the surveillance cameras, the local residents gathered and raised objections. It was found that with no prior communications from the authorities, they mistook it to be an attempt to build a compound wall around the Maidan. After the civic officials stopped digging, the situation came under control.

Speaking to News Trail, the jurisdictional police said that the cameras will now be repositioned and will be installed outside the ground. “We had installed the cameras to ensure security around the disputed property as we do not want a communal situation on our hands. We will also deploy police to have an eye on the area soon,” a senior police officer said.

With the increase in the number of applications by the Hindu organisations seeking permissions to conduct cultural events on the Eidgah Maidan, the city police do not want the communal fault line reopening again, the senior officer said. “If there is no dispute over the ownership of the land, we have no issues with giving permission. But if that is contested between two government bodies, it is for the government to take a call,” he added.