Dharmasthala Bhaktabhimani Vedike takes out protest march in Belagavi, Vijayapura
In Belagavi, the protestors gathered at the Rani Channamma Circle and staged a rasta roko for over an hour.
They marched to the Deputy Commissioner's office and submitted a memorandum to the State government.
They demanded action against portals and YouTubers and social media influencers, who, they said, are creating content to defame Dharmasthala even before the Special Investigation Team completed investigation.
They demanded legal action against those passing judgments against the temple town, the Sri Manjunath Swami temple and Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade.
A large number of women self-help group members participated in the protest holding placards hailing the charitable activities of the Sri Dharmasthala Rural Development Project.
Sri Shivasiddha Someshwar Swami of Mukti Math said that some people are misusing social media to spread misinformation and prejudiced opinion about the holy place. He demanded capital punishment for such people.
Sri Shambhulinga Shivacharya Swami of Hiremunavalli, Siddalinga Shivacharya of Sutagatti, vedike leaders G.R. Soner, Jayaram Shetty, Prabhakar Shetty, Santosh Shetty, Krishna Bhat and others were present.
In Vijayapura, the protestors marched from Sri Siddeshwar Swami Math to the Deputy Commissioner's office.
They raised slogans against those vested interests trying to defame Dharmasthala. They said that some people are targeting Dharmasthala only to gain fame, while others are doing it with an ulterior motive of getting the Dharmadhikari replaced.
The former BJP MLC Arun Shahapur addressed the gathering. He demanded action against portals, influencers and some political leaders working against Dharmasthala.
He suspected that some anti-Hindu forces have ganged up against Dharmasthala to defame Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade and his family members. He suspected that anti-Hindu forces from other States are involved in the attempt to defame Dharmasthala.
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