In a case of the fence eating the crop, a unit of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, which claims to uphold the moral tone of the state, has been accused of encroaching prime land next to the National High School grounds on K R Road in Basavanagudi.

Residents on Friday noticed that the encroachers had resorted to an old ploy of installing deities to claim ownership of the boulevard next to the playground. The BBMP, which owns the land, has chosen to look away.

“The city unit of Kannada Sahitya Parishat has been trying to acquire this land for some time now. On Friday, we noticed that a deity of goddess Bhuvaneshwari had come up overnight and special pujas were also performed nearby,” residents in the area said.

Another resident alleged that chairman of the Parishat unit Mayanna was behind the encroachment. “It was a clear open space and a deity has come up overnight. On Friday morning, we saw Mayanna and several others performing puja. He (Mayanna) is behind this,” he said.

Residents said they approached B N Ramesh, corporator of Sunkenahalli ward, in whose limits the encroachment has taken place. “The corporator said he has spoken to the BBMP commissioner, who has promised to visit and inspect the spot,” they said.

Speaking to DH, Ramesh acknowledged the incident and said the deity was installed on Thursday night. “The ward engineer informed me that the deity was installed on Thursday night and a police complaint has been filed in this regard,” he said, adding that he has not been able to contact Mayanna to inquire about the incident.

When contacted, Mayanna claimed, “The deity has been there for about three months. This did not happen overnight. People have installed it.”