A curfew was imposed in the town of Srirangapatna in India's Karnataka state on Friday after Hindu groups threatened to storm into the Jamia mosque to perform a Hindu prayer inside. The local administration also banned all public gatherings of four or more people in the town from 3 to 5 June.
Hindu groups, including Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and Sri Ram Sena, made a call earlier this week to lead a march to the mosque from 3 June.
The activists explained that the Jamia mosque was built at the site of a demolished Lord Hanuman Temple.
Built in 1782 during the reign of Muslim ruler Tipu Sultan, the mosque today exists as a heritage site and is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
In May, a similar claim was made by radical Hindu groups with regard to the Assaiyeed Adbullahil Madani mosque in the state's Mangaluru city. The government authorities also deployed heavy security in that area.
Sri Ram Sena's founder Pramod Muthalik demanded that a survey be conducted by the ASI.