The removal of the Hanuman flag has sparked political tension and protests in Keragodu village, Mandya, Karnataka. On Monday, however, police action brought the situation under control. When authorities pulled a saffron flag with Lord Hanuman’s picture from a 108-foot flag post on Sunday, the issue took a different turn. A lot of security has been put in place to stop any unfortunate incidents from happening in and around the hamlet because of the ongoing protests by members of the Bajrang Dal, the BJP, the JD(S), and other political parties.
The demonstrators called for the raising of the “Hanuman dhwaja” once more.
As a show of protest, the demonstrators, wearing saffron flags, started marching to the Mandya city district headquarters, where the Deputy Commissioner’s office is located. According to reports, JD(S) leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy is expected to join the group. Tentative conditions have led to the imposition of restrictions in the village under Section 144. 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.
Despite the village panchayat’s approval for the flagpole’s installation, the authorities were obliged to request the flag’s removal due to objections regarding the Hanuman flag. The peasants banded together and stuck to their positions. They even charged that some people were attempting to politicize the situation.The atmosphere was further heightened on Saturday when stores were closed in protest. The people congregated and screamed “Go Back” as Gramme Panchayat officials came to the village to remove the flag.
How it became a political issue
The political element entered the picture when local Congress MLA Ravi Kumar’s banners were vandalized during the demonstrations. Many police officers were stationed in the area after the disturbances. Protesting at all of the state’s district offices, BJP officials and members are denouncing the Congress-led government’s “anti-Hindu policy” and charging it with “insulting” the national flag. The Jayanagara MLA C K Ramamurthy led the saffron party in organizing a demonstration at Bengaluru’s Mysuru Bank Circle. The police arrested them and took them away. According to the police, no authorization was given to hold a protest there. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed the worry that the Tricolour was being flown in place of a “bhagwa dhwaja,” or saffron flag, in the meanwhile.
“It is not right. I have asked the authorities to hoist the national flag,” Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying. Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy, who is in charge of the district, addressed the situation and stated that permission was first requested to hoist the tricolour on Republic Day. On Sunday, police had to use a limited amount of lathi-charge in order to scatter the throng and get things under control. Police and the government raised a Tricolour on the flag post in place of the Hanuman flag.
According to government sources, CCTV cameras have been placed and the area surrounding the flag post has been cordoned to monitor the situation and stop any wrongdoing involving the flag. According to officials, the vast majority of the businesses remained closed following the villagers’ and activists’ calls for a shutdown.
By: Gursharan Kaur
The removal of the Hanuman flag has sparked political tension and protests in Keragodu village, Mandya, Karnataka. On Monday, however, police action brought the situation under control. When authorities pulled a saffron flag with Lord Hanuman’s picture from a 108-foot flag post on Sunday, the issue took a different turn. A lot of security has been put in place to stop any unfortunate incidents from happening in and around the hamlet because of the ongoing protests by members of the Bajrang Dal, the BJP, the JD(S), and other political parties.
The demonstrators called for the raising of the “Hanuman dhwaja” once more.
As a show of protest, the demonstrators, wearing saffron flags, started marching to the Mandya city district headquarters, where the Deputy Commissioner’s office is located. According to reports, JD(S) leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy is expected to join the group. Tentative conditions have led to the imposition of restrictions in the village under Section 144. 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.
Despite the village panchayat’s approval for the flagpole’s installation, the authorities were obliged to request the flag’s removal due to objections regarding the Hanuman flag. The peasants banded together and stuck to their positions. They even charged that some people were attempting to politicize the situation.The atmosphere was further heightened on Saturday when stores were closed in protest. The people congregated and screamed “Go Back” as Gramme Panchayat officials came to the village to remove the flag.
How it became a political issue
The political element entered the picture when local Congress MLA Ravi Kumar’s banners were vandalized during the demonstrations. Many police officers were stationed in the area after the disturbances. Protesting at all of the state’s district offices, BJP officials and members are denouncing the Congress-led government’s “anti-Hindu policy” and charging it with “insulting” the national flag. The Jayanagara MLA C K Ramamurthy led the saffron party in organizing a demonstration at Bengaluru’s Mysuru Bank Circle. The police arrested them and took them away. According to the police, no authorization was given to hold a protest there. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed the worry that the Tricolour was being flown in place of a “bhagwa dhwaja,” or saffron flag, in the meanwhile.
“It is not right. I have asked the authorities to hoist the national flag,” Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying. Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy, who is in charge of the district, addressed the situation and stated that permission was first requested to hoist the tricolour on Republic Day. On Sunday, police had to use a limited amount of lathi-charge in order to scatter the throng and get things under control. Police and the government raised a Tricolour on the flag post in place of the Hanuman flag.
According to government sources, CCTV cameras have been placed and the area surrounding the flag post has been cordoned to monitor the situation and stop any wrongdoing involving the flag. According to officials, the vast majority of the businesses remained closed following the villagers’ and activists’ calls for a shutdown.
By: Gursharan Kaur