The Sri Rama Sene had demanded the government remove all unauthorised loudspeakers outside mosques.
Members of Sri Rama Sene, a Hindu hardline group, were arrested by the police in Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday when they gathered around a temple in Shantinagar, in the central part of the city, to play the Hanuman Chalisa over loudspeakers as part of their campaign against the Azaan sounded from mosques.
Police officers posted outside temples across the state stopped members of the right-wing group from entering temples to play the Hanuman Chalisa. Many were taken into preventive custody in several districts such as Hubballi, Chikkamagaluru and Gadag.
The organisation's chief Pramod Muthalik had given an ultimatum to the government to remove all unauthorised loudspeakers installed outside the mosques. The call by the organisation was in reaction to the state government not following the Uttar Pradesh government's state-wide drive of removing nearly 54,000 illegal loudspeakers, it said.
Gangadhar Kulkarni, Working President of Sri Ram Sene, said, "Today the government has used the police force to stop us, curb our religious freedom. The state government should be ashamed of this. The Supreme Court's order must be implemented. We are fighting for our society."
Pramod Muthalik, chief of the Sri Ram Sene, warned the government and Muslim organisations, threatening to take the law into his own hands.
"I am warning you'll. Muslim organisations' stubbornness is causing disharmony. Your prayers and Azaan are disturbing patients in hospitals, it is distracting school and college-going students, and the public. So, you should reduce the decibel levels, otherwise, we will act on our own," he said.
Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra warned of strict action against those who harm public order. "To control noise pollution, the state will adopt strict measures as per the court's orders. Strict action will be initiated against those taking law into their own hands," he said.
The controversy over the Azaan, revived by politicians in neighbouring Maharashtra, is the latest flashpoint of communal tension in BJP-ruled Karnataka, where the past few months have seen toxic stand-offs over the Hijab, Halal food and Muslim vendors outside temples.