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Section 144 imposed in Bagalkot after removal of Shivaji statue, say Police
Bagalkot City Corporation decided to remove the Shivaji statue as it was constructed without official authorisation
Bagalkot town was tensed on Thursday after civic authorities removed a Shivaji statue citing lack of authorisation while the district administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to avoid any untoward incident, officials familiar with the matter said.
Section 144 limits gatherings to five individuals at a single location. The order will remain in effect until Friday midnight.
The horse-riding statue of the erstwhile Maratha king Shivaji at the Lions’ Club circle was unveiled in 2020 by the Maratha Sangha in Bagalkot, in collaboration with saffron factions and the BJP.
Bagalkot’s deputy commissioner of police, KM Janaki, said, that the statue’s erection was carried out without obtaining the necessary permissions. “In addition to the Shivaji statue, numerous illegally erected statues in public areas were also taken down to ensure unobstructed pedestrian and vehicular flow. To pre-empt any potential negative repercussions from the statue’s removal, we have enforced a prohibitory order, which will remain in effect until Friday midnight,” she said.
Standing at a height of six feet, the statue was made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) and placed on the premises without permission. Around ten individuals affiliated with the BJP and other Hindutva organisations protested against the removal of the stature and were taken into custody as a preventive measure. They were subsequently released and no charges were pressed against them, said police.
Jayaprakash Hakkaraki, the superintendent of police in Bagalkot, said that approximately two dozen individuals aligned with the BJP and saffron factions were also apprehended for protesting the police intervention. “These detainees also were released with a warning,” he said.
SP Hakkaraki added that unidentified individuals placed the Shivaji statue on the premises of the Bagalkot City Corporation during the early hours of August 13. Responding to the city corporation’s request, the police proceeded with the removal of the statue. “We have acquired footage from CCTV cameras to identify the culprits responsible for erecting the statue. Charges could potentially be framed against these individuals for attempting to breach the peace,” he said.
In response to the heightened tensions, an increased police presence has been deployed in sensitive areas, including the premises of the city corporation.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Narayan Bhandage, who led the protest, said that it was unfortunate for the government to consider erecting statues of Hindu and national heroes on public land as a criminal act. “If not in India where else will the statues of such significant figures should find their place? But given that the Bagalkote district is communally sensitive, we won’t allow anyone to create problems in the city,” he said.
