Violence in Madikeri during the celebration of the 165th birth anniversary of erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan on Tuesday led to the death of a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader and a bystander, heightening tension across an already simmering State.
According to police Kuttappa a local VHP activist and a former State Government employee, suffered fatal head injuries due to stone-pelting by those participating in a procession, to celebrate Tipu’s birth anniversary.
Police baton-charged protesters at Madikeri leaving many VHP and BJP workers injured. Police also resorted to firing tear gas shells after clashes erupted between the opponents and supporters of the celebrations. The deaths at Madikeri in the coffee district of Kodagu in Western Ghats have put the Government in a spot.
IGP (Southern Range) BK Singh said a function was held at the Town Hall to observe Tipu Jayanti and the organisers were told to keep it indoors.
“We had banned the procession as they had not taken any permission. Also, another group had organised a programme to show black flags. We were anticipating trouble, but they were not ready to listen to us. So there was a baton-charge and tear gas was used to disperse them and they were sent back, and Section 144 was promulgated,” he said.
“A VHP activist Kuttappa died due to the unrest. There was stone pelting and he ran in order to escape that. But in his panic he fell from the retaining wall and died,” Singh added.
The VHP was quick to react and alleged that Kuttappa was killed by the police.
The decision of the Government to go ahead with Tipu Sultan Jayanti across the State has seen widespread criticism by right wing organisations and even the BJP boycotted the function held at Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power in Bengaluru.
State BJP chief Prahlad Joshi blamed the State Government and termed the move to celebrate Tipu’s birth anniversary as one more step in the minority-appeasement politics of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The newly-appointed Home Minister of Karnataka G Parameshwara blamed the BJP and the VHP for the incident. He called for restraint as it was the State’s decision to observe Tipu’s birth anniversary. He said stern action would be taken against people who are taking the law into their hands.
In another incident, one person, Raju died after falling from a hospital building. The police confirmed the death but said it was unrelated to the protests. Additional reinforcements were rushed to the area to bring the situation under control.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah justified his decision in Bengaluru during the day saying: “Tipu was a nationalist and the Government will continue to celebrate his birth anniversary across the State on November 10.”
Right wing orgainsations had called for a bandh in Kodagu on Tuesday to protest the Government’s decision.
Besides the BJP and the VHP, several organisations and individuals have opposed the State Government’s move.
In the coastal town of Mangaluru, United Christian Association has protested against the celebrations, alleging that Tipu was responsible for the destruction of many churches in the coastal region and harassing Christians.
Tipu was a ruler of the erstwhile kingdom of Mysore (now Mysuru) and he was considered a tough enemy by the British East India Company. He was killed by British forces in May, 1799, while defending his fort in Srirangapatna.
State BJP president Prahlad Joshi told media persons on Monday that none of the BJP’s 44 legislators and office-bearers will attend the Tipu Jayanti celebrations being organized by the State Government.
Christians too joined the Bajrang Dal and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cadres in protests in Mangaluru, claiming Tipu Sultan tortured Christians.
While Siddaramaiah has described Tipu Sultan as an early freedom fighter who fought the British and governed Mysore region in a secular manner, the BJP and the RSS have described Tipu Sultan as a ‘religious bigot’ who forced local communities to convert to Islam.
The celebrations were marked by protests in Tumkur district, Mysuru district, Raichur, Mangaluru and other districts of Karnataka.
In another development, playwright and Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad created a controversy by saying Bengaluru airport should be named after the erstwhile king of Mysuru.
Karnad made his statement during the official celebration of Tipu’s birth anniversary by the Karnataka Government on Tuesday.
In New Delhi, the BJP lashed out at the Karnataka Government over the death of the VHP leader, terming its response to the Hindutva outfit’s protests as a “height of intolerance and insensitivity”. “There is a freedom to protest. The use of force by the Karnataka police against the protesters is the height of intolerance,” BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma said.
He also condemned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s statement, in which he had blamed the VHP’s bandh call for the violence. “What he (Siddaramaiah) said is extremely insensitive.”