A tense atmosphere prevailed in Santibastwad village in Belagavi taluk on Monday morning following an alleged incident involving the desecration of Islamic holy books.
According to local sources, worshippers arriving at the mosque for the early morning ‘Fajr Namaz’ discovered that copies of the Quran and two Hadith texts kept within the mosque were missing. After completing their prayers, community members began searching the surrounding area, only to find the charred remains of the holy books on a vacant plot of land adjacent to the mosque.
The incident quickly drew the attention of residents and community leaders, who expressed deep anguish and demanded immediate action. Upon receiving reports, City Police Commissioner Iada Martin and Deputy Commissioner of Police Rohan Jagadish rushed to the spot and initiated a preliminary investigation.
Muslim youths gathered and protested the incident, voicing their frustration over what they claim is a pattern of inaction, citing two previous incidents of a similar nature. They demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible, stating that failure to do so could lead to wider unrest.
Police officials have appealed for calm and assured the public that the culprits would be identified and arrested within two days. A protest was held at Rani Chennamma Circle, where MLA Asif Sait, Commissioner of Polic,e addressed the gathering.
The case falls under the jurisdiction of the Belagavi Rural Police Station, and further investigations are ongoing.
Authorities have appealed to the public to refrain from spreading rumors and to maintain harmony while the investigation progresses.