The historic Hasanamba temple was opened for devotees on Thursday, amidst protests by media and public. While mediapersons protested the restriction on them on the temple premises, the public alleged that the district administration had turned it into an officers’ event without involving people of the town.

The temple was scheduled to be opened around 12.30 p.m. Minutes before the opening of the doors, reporters and cameramen walked out of the temple premises. They returned the identity cards issued by the district administration and staged a protest in front of the temple against the officers.

Shivanand Tagadur, State president of Karnataka Union of Working Journalists, took serious objection to the restriction on media coverage on the temple premises. “For the first time, media has been restricted in the festival. The number of people visiting the temple increased over the years because of media coverage in the past years. Now, the officers do not want media,” he said.

In the past, cameramen were allowed to capture the opening of the doors and religious programmes conducted on the premises. However, this time, the journalists were asked to stand in a corner, away from the temple. “All these years, journalists used to get an invitation to cover the event. This time, some officers felt it would be better if the media was kept away from the temple,” said R.P. Venkateshmurthy, a senior journalist.

A few devotees, who had gathered in front of the temple expecting an opportunity to visit the temple on the first day itself, staged a dharna as they were denied an entry. They alleged that hundreds of officers were being allowed inside, while the local people were not. “Hasanamba is our deity. The officers are conducting the event keeping the local public away from the temple,” the protesters said. Senior citizen and freedom fighter H.M. Shivanna was among those who was denied entry into the temple.