Pic: The controversy was over the burial of Ratnammavva, wife of Ereppa Tatha, second seer of Erri Tatha Mutt in Kolagal villageBallari: The funeral of Ratnammavva, 80, from Kolagal village in Ballari taluk, who passed away on Dec 25, was held on Saturday. With this, a two-day dispute over her burial site came to an end.There were arguments and protests between the two communities of the village for two days, since Thursday, over the decision regarding the burial site. Approximately 200 police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order.Additional SP Ravi Kumar, Ballari assistant commissioner Rajesh HD, and tahsildar Rekha remained in the village throughout the day. Finally, the issue was resolved with the intervention of officials on Friday night, and the deceased woman was cremated on Saturday.Ratnammavva, wife of Ereppa Tatha, the second pontiff of the Erri Tatha Mutt in Kolagal village, died in a private hospital on Dec 25. The Scheduled Community of the village demanded that she be buried next to Ereppa Tatha’s tomb in the mutt premises, but the Kuruba community, who are the priests of the mutt, opposed this, leading to a controversy.Officials also objected to the cremation in the mutt premises as there was a high court order that the status quo should be maintained in the 34-acre area of the mutt.The Scheduled Community, angered by these developments, protested, leading to SP Shobharani VJ arriving in the village to ensure security. A day-long meeting was held between the SP, senior officials, and the villagers on Friday. Finally, it was decided to bury Ratnammavva within the 34 acres of land belonging to the mutt, but outside its premises.Police took necessary precautions due to a previous conflict over idol installation that occurred in 2024. Inspector Santosh Dubbin, CPI Satish, and many others were injured in the attack while handling the situation. Tight security was provided in this context.SP Dr Shobharani VJ said that both parties consented to resolve the issue peacefully during a meeting, which led to a favourable situation. However, security measures were implemented to prevent unexpected events.
