On 01 October, Karnataka’s Shivamogga was clouded with communal tension after Islamists pelted stones during the Eid-e-Milad an-Nabi procession. At least four people got injured. Section 144 of CrPC was imposed in the Ragigugga area as a precautionary measure where the incident took place.
Tipu Sultan’s cutout showed him murdering Hindus
As per reports, there was a cutout of Tipu Sultan in the procession where he was shown killing two “saffron-coloured” people. It was understandable that it depicted Tipu killing Hindu warriors. Activists linked to Hindu organisations raised objections to the cutout, and the police got involved. As per the police, the tension erupted due to a “bit of controversial content”.
Aaj Tak report noted that Hindus took to the streets to protest against the stone pelting. The police stopped the procession to control the situation. Irked by the police action, Islamists tried to break down police barricades and pelted stones. The police used the lathi charge to disperse the crowd.
Shivamogga SP GK Mithun Kumar contacted local leaders from both communities and urged them to help in controlling the situation. Furthermore, instructions were issued to the organisers to cover the portrait with a curtain to ensure no further tension erupted in the area. The police detained several rioters.
BJP criticised Congress govt for law and order failure
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), BJP MLA CN Ashwath Narayan shared photographs showing how Islamists took over the Eid procession. In one of the photographs, there was a large sword with text written in Urdu on it. Another photograph showed an image of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, who killed thousands of Hindus outside a Masjid. The other two photographs showed large cutouts of Tipu and Islamic flags waving in the city.
He wrote, “It is condemnable that the Congress government, which does not prioritise solving the Cauvery problem, is aiding and abetting communal riots. The state Congress government is openly supporting the conversion of the communal garden of peace into a place for sociopaths by allowing installation of the fanatical Tipu’s cutout and Talwar arches in Shivmogga.” (Translated using Google Translate).
Channabasappa, a BJP MLA from Shivamogga, expressed concern about the troubling situation in his constituency. He urged the government to take action against the elements causing trouble and not empower them. Recently, an incident occurred where a cook was returning from work and was attacked on the head. It is not clear who the perpetrators were. These violent elements are known to attack people with bottles and enter homes to engage in violence. This seems to be a deliberate attack on innocent people. Channabasappa said he would avoid further commenting until all the facts were known.
Columnist and Yuva Brigade member Chakravarty Sulibele shared several videos of the incident. In one of the videos, a woman was heard saying, “Yappa, they are beating police”.
In another video, Islamists were seen celebrating with swords in their hands despite Section 144 imposed in the area.
Sulibele pointed out that Hindus took out the Ganesh Visarjan procession a few days ago which went without any problem. “Muslims have the hands of the government who bring them out of jails, and the home minister himself writes a letter to find a way to release those miscreants! BureDin of Karnataka,” he wrote.