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Three arrested for tearing down Tipu Sultan poster
A video of which has gone viral on social media. Pro-Hindu leader Puneet Kerehalli and at least two others were arrested on Sunday by Halasuru Gate police for tearing down a poster of Tipu Sultan.
Tension erupted in the state capital after a right-wing leader teared down a poster of Tipu Sultan, in what appears to be a retaliation to a similar incident in Shivamogga in which Hindutva idealogue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s picture was brought down by some miscreants on Saturday.
A video of which has gone viral on social media. Pro-Hindu leader Puneet Kerehalli and at least two others were arrested on Sunday by Halasuru Gate police for tearing down a poster of Tipu Sultan.
The first incident happened on Saturday night was in the communally sensitive Shivamogga district in which some miscreants had taken down the picture of Savarkar which was put up as part of the Independence Day celebration in the district. This had led to tensions as pro-Hindu groups protested against the actions.
“A person named Mohammed Shariff, also known as Katu Asif, was remanded to judicial custody till August 26. He is the husband of Tippu Nagar woman corporator Mehek Banu,” said a police official from the district, requesting not to be named.
BS Yediyurappa, former chief minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said on Sunday: “A picture of Veer Savarkar was taken down by some people in Shivamogga on Saturday night. These people have insulted freedom fighters and Veer Savarkar and this is a criminal act. They have been arrested and strict action should be taken against them. Only if stern action is taken, will these people not repeat these mistakes again.”
Shivamogga had witnessed the peaking of communal tensions in February after a Bajarang Dal worker, Harsha Jingade, was murdered by four people who were Muslims.
The following day, a funeral procession led by then minister KS Eshwarappa, had led to right wing groups attacking Muslim-dominated localities, damaging property and people.
The incident on Saturday night rekindled tensions and police have been on high alert on the eve of Independence Day.
The right-wing group leader, Kerehalli, then took to the streets with some of his associates and tore down a picture of Tipu Sultan in Bengaluru’s Hudson circle.
In the video, Kerehalli can be heard saying that they had allowed Tipu Sultan’s picture to be up as it was part of Independence Day, but the tearing down of Savarkar’s picture in Shivamogga cannot be tolerated.
Home minister Araga Jnanendra on Sunday evening visited the idgah maidan or playground on Mysuru road to check security arrangements for flag hoisting on Monday.
This playground has become a bone of contention between the Waqf Board and the BJP-led state government over ownership of the land.
This is a playground which was used for Muslim prayers at least twice each year and pro-Hindu groups have accused local Congress legislator Zameer Ahmed Khan of trying to usurp it only for Islamic activities and denying it to others.
Pro-Hindu groups have demanded that the government take back control over the land and that it be given to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.
