With or without saffron flag, it is business as usual at Mangaladevi Navaratri fair

Mukesh Singh from Rajasthan has put up a stall, with a saffron flag planted on top, selling an assortment of items ranging from bangles to utensils on Mangaladevi temple road (or Car Street) for the Navaratri fair here.

Mukesh Singh from Rajasthan has put up a stall, with a saffron flag planted on top, selling an assortment of items ranging from bangles to utensils on Mangaladevi temple road (or Car Street) for the Navaratri fair here.

“A group of people came on October 17 morning and asked me to display a saffron flag. I agreed,” said Mr. Singh. “But people are not bothered either way and buy what they want.”

He said business was down for all traders, irrespective of the community they belonged to and whether they had a saffron flag fluttering on top or not.

As many as 82 stalls have been put up for the annual Navaratri festival at the ancient Mangaladevi temple in Mangaluru and Mr. Singh’s is among those with a saffron flag on display.

The controversy began when the Muzrai Department-controlled temple held two rounds of auction and allotted 82 spaces. Of them, six were allotted to Muslims and one was allotted to a trader from the Jain community.

A member of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi District Jatra Vyparastara Samanvaya Samiti said that eight Hindu traders, who were allotted stalls in the auction, in turn had sub-let their stalls to Muslims to do business.

On October 17, Vishwa Hindu Parishad Dakshina Karnataka Pranta joint secretary Sharan Pumpwell and other VHP activists came here and fixed saffron flags on select stalls.