Mysuru: Despite the Kodagu bandh called by an organisation opposing the Tipu Jayanti celebrations, the district administration went ahead with them amidst tight security, but wound up the event in an hour on Friday. Except for a KSRTC bus being stoned near Gaalibeedu Kaalooru division, and some roads blocked by agitators near Kadagadaalu, Chettalli, the bandh called by the Tipu Jayanthi Horata Samithi was by and large peaceful.
BJP MLA Appachu Ranjan and MLC, Sunil Subramani, who held a black flag demonstration outside the venue of the Tipu Jayanti celebrations of the district administration, were arrested as were around 100 other BJP leaders, who staged a protest in Madikeri, MLA K G Bopaiah and 29 other BJP leaders, who protested against the celebration in Virajpet and 40 BJP leaders, who came out in protest in Somwarpet. Those arrested reportedly damaged the seats of the police vans in which they were ferried before they were released. “Barring some stray incidents the bandh was largely peaceful,” ADG Bhaskar Rao said. Mr Subramani and Mr Bopaiah , who spoke to reporters later, warned that the governnment’s decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanthi would boomerang on it.
Minister Dr H.C. Mahadevappa inaugurates Tipu Jayanti in Mysuru.
National insult: Mahadevappa
In Mysuru, around 1,000 Muslims participated in Tipu Jayanti celebrations at various locations. At one such event in Kalamandir Minister, Dr H C Mahadevappa called it a national insult to oppose Tipu Jayanthi. “We are celebrating Tipu Jayanthi neither as a favour to Tipu nor to win votes, but because it is our duty to honour a patriot. Some people call him anti- Hindu, but this is not true,” the minister said.
Heaping praise on Mysuru ruler, Tipu Sultan at his birth anniversary celebrations in Kalamandir, Minister H C Mahadevappa said he was both secular and a true patriot, who refused to give his daughter’s hand in marriage to the Hyderabad Nizam’s son due to the latter’s connections with the British. “ There was a coin with a picture of Goddess Lakshmi on it during his reign and the name of Rama was engraved on his finger ring. People, who held major positions during his reign included Diwan Poornaiah and Shyama Roa, who were his ambassadors.
