Overview
- A pre-wedding shoot at Bettada Bhairaveshwara Temple in Maragunda escalated when locals objected to photographers wearing shoes and questioned permission.
- Several photographers were injured during the assault, with Navi and Nandan treated at Sakleshpur Taluk Hospital after equipment was also damaged.
- Police registered a case and arrested seven men from Mudigere taluk, identifying them as Ashi, Prashanth, Raksha, Aravind, Uchit, Prajwal and Nishanth.
- Tensions flared again outside Sakleshpur Rural Police Station on Friday as residents and photographers confronted each other before officers dispersed the crowd.
- Viral videos of the clashes have fueled pressure from photographers’ groups and villagers for clearer shoot protocols to protect the temple’s sanctity and surrounding ecology.