Right-wing groups’ office-bearers booked for tearing down Tipu Sultan’s poster

Samartha police have lodged a case against three persons and their associates allegedly belonging to right-wing groups for defaming former Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan

Pune: The Samartha police have lodged a case against three persons and their associates allegedly belonging to right-wing groups for defaming former Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan on Wednesday. The police have booked the accused under Sections 143, 147, 149, 153 A, 426, 427, 135, 37 (1) (c) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

Samartha police have lodged a case against three persons and their associates allegedly belonging to right-wing groups for defaming former Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan. ((PIC FOR REPRESENTATION))

According to the FIR filed by Swati Vilas Gaikwad, district president, Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) women’s wing, the accused identified as Nitin Mahajan, Sandesh Bhegade and Kishore Chavan, office-bearers of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, allegedly desecrated the picture of the historic figure and tore it down after around 250 persons gathered at Bolhai Mata Mandir Chowk on Thursday.

According to the complaint, the ASP had put up a hoarding at Bolhai Mata Temple Chowk on June 5 to celebrate the win of its party president and founder Chandrashekhar Azad from Nagina Constituency in Uttar Pradesh at the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The hoarding carried pictures of revered figures from the Bahujan community and Hazrat Tipu Sultan.

Gaikwad received a call from her cousin about a crowd gathering at the chowk and tearing the poster of Sultan. She asked the caller to record the incident. The video showed people wearing saffron caps and carrying saffron flags. Gaikwad later approached the police to file complaint.

DCP (Zone I) Sandeep Gill said, “We have booked the right-wing group members on charges of spreading communal disharmony by tearing the poster of Tipu Sultan besides gathering a mob at the spot.”