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Maharashtra Cong chief Sapkal says Tipu Sultan ‘symbol of bravery like Chhatrapati Shivaji’; booked for ‘provocation’
Pune BJP chief's complaint said Sapkal's remarks “hurt the sentiments of Hindus”. Tipu Sultan was a Muslim who ruled Mysore and fought against the British.
The city police in Pune have registered a case against Harshwardhan Sapkal, the Maharashtra Congress unit president, following a complaint by the city BJP chief, Dhiraj Ghate, over his remarks about similarities between 17th century Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan of the 18th century.
The complaint said Sapkal's remarks “hurt the sentiments of Hindus” — apparently because Tipu was a Muslim, and Shivaji a Hindu — and thus could disturb communal harmony, news agency ANI reported.
Sapkal had made the remarks on Saturday, when he was speaking to reporters on a controversy over a portrait of Tipu Sultan displayed in the office of the Malegaon municipal corporation's deputy mayor Shan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed, who is Muslim. The portrait of Tipu Sultan, known for having fought the British colonialists, was is being opposed by the Shiv Sena and other groups.
Sapkal said in Marathi that Tipu had actually followed Shivaji's ideals. "The kind of bravery that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj possessed and the concept of 'swarajya' (self-rule) that he introduced... much later, following in that very tradition and taking inspiration from his ideals, Tipu Sultan waged war against the British," Sapkal had said.
"In that sense, Tipu Sultan was a great warrior who displayed immense bravery and was a true son of India. He never allowed any poisonous or communal ideas to sway him. As a symbol of bravery, we should view Tipu Sultan as equivalent to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," he had added.
But BJP's Dhiraj Ghate said he hurt the sentiments of Hindus “who believe and consider Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as God”.
“I don't understand what point Harshwardhan Sapkal wants to prove by making such a statement, which hurts sentiments,” he said.
The case against Harshwardhan Sapkal is registered under sections 192, 196(1), 196(2), 352 and 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police said further investigation into the matter is underway.
