BJP, VHP workers in Mandya protest over saffron flag removal
The KR Pete municipal council removed the Bhagwa flag on Saturday night, triggering resentment among Sangh Parivar outfits
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), and other Hindu outfit workers staged a protest in Krishnarajapete (KR Pete) town in Mandya district on Sunday, against the removal of the “Bhagwa Dwaj” at the travellers bungalow (TB) circle.
According to the officials, the KR Pete municipal council removed the Bhagwa flag on Saturday night, triggering resentment among Sangh Parivar outfits.
The BJP and VHP workers alleged that the move was clearly against Hindus. They claimed that the Bhagwa Dwaj had been installed for decades at the circle, and the removal also included portraits of Basavanna, Ambedkar, Sangolli Rayanna, and Kempe Gowda, which were fitted with a Kalash.
“According to state government circulars, no religious symbols, statues, flags, portraits, or any constructions are allowed in public places,” KR Pete municipality chief officer Raju Kalappa Vatar said.
“The TB circle is a public place, and no organisation sought permission from us to build at the circle, which we consider unauthorised. The local Dalit Sangharsh Samithi also appealed to us to construct an Ambedkar circle, so to avoid tension we removed the Bhagwa flag,” he added.
“The Bhagwa flag had been flying for decades, and the town municipality had no problem earlier, but suddenly acted without any reason,” N. Nataraj, a BJP municipal councillor said.
“In many parts of the state, there are thousands of sacred places, Nagara Kattes, Arali trees, and idols in public places which authorities allow to worship without any problem.
This sudden action without any notice clearly proves the anti-Hindu policy of the government. If it was from another religion, would they remove it?” he questioned.
“By removing the flag that had been flying for decades, the officials desecrated Hindus and hurt their sentiments,” he added.