Mangaluru: Close on the heels of police attempt at stopping the Yakshagana programme at Kavoor and Pandeshwar, citing complaints of sound pollution, MLAs Dr Bhrath Shetty, Vedavyas Kamath and Umanath Kotian decided to meet the commissioner of police to ensure no such incident takes place in the district in future.

Speaking to the reporters at the premises of Kavoor Mahalingeshwara temple on Tuesday, March 5, MLA Dr Bharath Shetty said, “as the police department attempted to stop the Yakshagana and Bhajan programme, it hurt the religious sentiments of the public. The temple has been conducting Yakshagana and Bhajan programmes during Maha Shivaratri fest, since the past 50 years. However, police disrupted the programme citing the reason of sound pollution. It not only hurt the religious sentiments of the public but is also an insult to the Yakshagana”, he said and added that MLAs would meet Commissioner of Police within two days.

Kavoor Mahalingeshwara temple management committee president Ramanna Shetty said, ” though Kavoor temple comes under religious endowment department, police neither communicated with any member of the management committee nor the executive officer of the temple. The inspector of Kavoor station did not follow the guidelines while passing ordersa to stop Yakshagana and Bhajan programmes, which hurt us most”, he said.

The chief priest of temple Srinivas Bhat, corporators Deepak Poojary, Madhu Kiran, Rajesh K, and temple management committee member Mohan Prabhu among others were present.