Amid security concerns govt imposes ban on entry into Bababudangiri shrine

Chikkamagaluru, Jan 25: The entry to Inam Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah Datta cave has been banned for three days from Sunday for security reasons.

The Home Department has directed the officials to beef up security following the terror threat. As a result, the tourists had to return to their places without having the Darshan of the ‘Datta Paduke’ in the cave shrine.

Devotees unhappy

A team of 40 persons, under the leadership of Hussain from Ballari, had come to the shrine. “The ban on the shrine’s entry has disappointed us. It is not right on the part of the authorities to restrict the entry all of a sudden,” he said.

Pranesh, who had come from Haveri, said, “I had come to visit the Peetha. If the authorities had intimated this in advance, it would have helped the tourists.” Superintendent of Police Santhosh Babu said that the entry to the cave has been restricted for three days.

MLA C T Ravi said, “If there is any threat, then security should be beefed up. The banning of entry to the cave will hurt the sentiments of the devotees.” Additional police personnel have been deployed to the Sringeri temple, it is learnt.