Hindu outfit installs Shivling near mosque in West Bengal
Tensions have risen in Malda, West Bengal, after a Hindu group installed a Shivling near the 14th-century Adina Masjid. Local authorities deployed heavy security to manage the situation as both religious groups claim historical ties to the site.
Why it matters
The incident reflects ongoing communal sensitivities regarding historical religious sites in India and the potential for civil unrest.
MALDA: A 3.5-foot stone Shivling was brought from Tarakeswar to a temple merely 50 yards from the 14th-century Adina Masjid in Malda on Monday, attracting controversy, a heavy deployment of police and a crowd of devotees.Members of Hindu Suraksha Samiti had announced the plan to bring the Shivling on Saturday.Thousands of Hindu devotees gathered at Adina on Monday to offer prayers to Lord Shiva on an auspicious day in the Bengali month of Shravan, when Shiva devotees, particularly women observing fasts, pour water and milk on a Shiva Linga.The gathering drew added attention after Hindu Suraksha Samiti announced plans to install a new Shiva Linga at the temple.A procession carrying the Shivling reached Adina around 12.30 pm.
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