A complaint has been filed against an individual running a Facebook page for allegedly putting up saffron flags in commercial places in parts of the Bengaluru.
According to the reports, a lawyer named Maitreyi Krishnan has registered a complaint on May 18 against a Facebook post by ‘Uttara Kannada Mandi’ and claimed that the Facebook had allegedly put out photos of people putting up saffron flags. The complaint has named one individual ML Shivakumar as the person behind it and accused him of spreading communal discord.
The lawyer had alleged that the people who put up saffron flags violated the Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1981, by putting them up on trees and poles in public places.
Citing the Karnataka Police Manual, the complainant said that the police should visit the place and try to pacify the place by talking to important leaders of various groups and non-controversial citizens. The lawyer reportedly had raised the issue to the inspector earlier, leading him to lodge a complaint.
According to the complaint, Bajrang Dal activist Shivakumar, in a series of posts and videos on his Facebook page, had posted images of his team putting out the saffron flags in Hindu owned/managed shops.
MM Bharath, Inspector of Vijayanagar police station had initially said that there was no violation as putting up of flags was all voluntary. Speaking to OpIndia, the inspector said that a petition was filed by the advocate, which was later turned into a complaint. He added that they are now carrying an enquiry over the complaint filed by the lawyer and also have sought clarifications from BBMP.