Hanuman Flag Removal: BJP Slams Congress Govt For Being 'Anti-Hindu' in Karnataka; Security Tightened

The controversy over the removal Hanuman flag has flared protests and a political unrest in Keragodu village in Karnataka’s Mandya. Police action, however, brought the situation under control on Monday.

The incident took a turn when a saffron flag bearing Lord Hanuman’s image hoisted on a 108-ft tall flag post was removed by authorities on Sunday.

Heavy security has been deployed to prevent any untoward incident in and around the village amid the continued protests by BJP, JD(S), Bajrang Dal workers and activists from other political parties.

The agitators demanded that the ‘Hanuman dhwaja‘ be hoisted again.

The protesters, bearing saffron flags, began marching to the Deputy Commissioner’s office in the district headquarters of Mandya city as a mark of protest. The group, reportedly, is likely to be joined by JD(S) leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.

Restrictions have been imposed in the village under Section 144 amid tense circumstances.

WHEN DID THE ISSUE START?

The incident took place last week when a group of men put up a 108-foot flag post and hoisted the ‘Hanuman Dhwaja‘ on it, an NDTV report said.

Although permission for installing the flagpole was received from the village panchayat, complaints against the Hanuman flag prompted the authorities to request the removal of the flag.

The villagers came together and remained firm on their stance. They even accused some persons of trying to politicise the issue.

ESCALATION OF PROTEST

The act of shutting down shops as a mark of protest on Saturday further escalated the tension.

When officials from the Gram Panchayat visited the village for removing the flag, villagers gathered around and chanted ‘Go Back’ slogans.

HOW IT BECAME A ‘CONGRESS VS BJP’ ISSUE?

The political factor came into play when during the protests, banners of a local Congress MLA — Ravi Kumar — were damaged.

Following the unrest, a large contingent of police force was deployed in the region.

BJP leaders and workers are also protesting at all the district headquarters of the state, condemning the “anti-Hindu policy” of the Congress-led government and accusing it of “insulting” the national flag

The saffron party also staged a protest at Bengaluru’s Mysuru Bank circle under the leadership of Jayanagara MLA C K Ramamurthy. They were detained and taken away by the police. Police said no permission was granted to stage a protest at the site.

Meanwhile, chief minister Siddaramaiah responded to the concern of a ‘bhagwa dhwaja’ (saffron flag) being hoisted instead of the Tricolour.

“It is not right. I have asked the authorities to hoist the national flag,” Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying.

Addressing the situation, District in-charge Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy noted that the permission was initially asked for hoisting the Tricolour on Republic Day.

LATHI-CHARGE & CCTV INSTALLATION

Cops on Sunday had to resort to mild levels of lathi-charge to disperse the crowd and bring the situation under control. Replacing the Hanuman flag, police and the administration instead hoisted a Tricolour on the flag post.

The space around the flag post has been barricaded and CCTV cameras have been installed to monitor the situation and prevent any misdoings in connection with the flag, official sources said.

Officials said that majority of the shops and establishments continued to be closed in sync with the call for a shutdown from the activists and villagers.

(With PTI inputs)