A senior railway official was quoted by Deccan Herald as saying, “Prayers have been offered there for at least 30 years. Similarly, pooja has been performed at the temples for decades. Vested interests are trying to create a controversy.”
The Hindu group’s Karnataka spokesperson Mohan Gowda said that he was not aware of temples located on the railway premises.
In his letter sent to the station manager, Gowda said, “This is a very serious issue and a threat from the national security standpoint of view. Bengaluru KSR Railway Station is an important station in the state. Even though there are many masjids around the railway station, giving permission to perform prayers on the platform seems to be a conspiracy,” Hindustan Times reported.
The letter added, “In 2019, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested a terrorist, Mohammed Akram, from the Majestic Area (where the railway station is located) in Bengaluru. The police had arrested a Bangladesh-based terrorist, member of Jemaat-ul- Mujahideen, who was hiding in the Cottonpet Masjid in Bengaluru.”
(With inputs from Deccand Herald and Hindustan Times.)