Savarkar poster row: 4 arrested after man stabbed in Karnataka’s Shivamogga, Section 144 imposed
Police arrested four men in connection with the stabbing incident in Karnataka's Shivamogga on Independence Day. CM Basavaraj Bommai reacted to the clashes in Shivamogga and said that police have already taken action after the incident adding that local leaders are cooperating with the police.
FollowIn the midst of racial animosity over a poster with the picture of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, four persons have been detained for reportedly stabbing a man in Shivamogga, Karnataka. During the police operation to take them into custody, one of the accused was shot in the leg.
So far, the police have revealed the identities of three of the four men arrested as Nadeem (25), Abdul Rehman (25) and Jabiullah. Jabiullah was shot in the leg while he tried to escape from the police. Heavy force is on the ground to avoid any flare-up, according to district police head BM Laxmi Prasad, and prohibitory orders will be in effect for the following 48 hours. The following two days will see no classes at the area's schools.
The arrest comes a day after a man, Prem Singh, was stabbed in the Gandhi Bazar area of Shivamogga, hours after a row erupted over a poster of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar put up at Ameer Ahmed circle on Independence Day. On Monday, a dispute arose over the installation of flexes honouring Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century king of Mysuru, and Savarkar. The four men who were detained have been charged with violating section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which prohibits attempts to kill.
According to reports, a gang is said to have taken down a poster of Savarkar and replaced it with one of Tipu Sultan, which sparked a racial altercation in the neighbourhood.
Earlier, Tipu Sultan Jayanti festivities led to a confrontation between his supporters and the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, the party's ideological father.
The conflict in Shivamogga occurs when the state's BJP government accommodates Sarvarkar's image while removing Jawharlal Nehru's in an advertising for the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, sparking a verbal exchange between the ruling BJP and the opposition.
The ruling BJP claimed that it was a conscious choice. "India has been split into Pakistan and India as a result of Nehru. Because of this, his photo was missing from the publication," BJP spokesman Ravi Kumar remarked.
Opposition leaders criticised the state administration over the action and called for the resignation of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. "It is a disgrace to the freedom and democracy of India. India is marking its 75th anniversary of independence. We want an apology from Basavaraj Bommai, and the Prime Minister should fire him," said DK Shivakumar, president of the state Congress.
