Mandya Flag Row: CM Siddaramaiah Says Godse's 'Descendants' Disturbing Peace. Panchayat Official Suspended

Mandya Flag Row: Tensions initially flared when a saffron flag adorned with a portrait of Lord Hanuman was taken down from a 108 ft. tall flagpole in Keragodu village.

File photo of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

Source : PTI

New Delhi:  The village of Keragodu in Mandya recently found itself at the center of a heated controversy surrounding the removal of a Hanuman Dhwaja from a prominent flagpole. The incident has not only led to the suspension of a Panchayat official but has also escalated into a political blame faceoff, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday remarking that the "descendants" of Nathuram Godse are "disturbing peace" in the state.

"Tension had earlier gripped the Keragodu village over the removal of a Hanuman Dhwaja, but normalcy has been restored," officials said on Tuesday, according to PTI. 

Tensions initially flared when a saffron flag adorned with a portrait of Lord Hanuman was taken down from a 108 ft. tall flagpole in Keragodu village. The removal prompted a massive demonstration by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS) in protest against what they perceived as an affront to religious sentiments, reported PTI.

While talking to reporters, the Karnataka CM alleged the opposition's agitation was aimed at gaining political mileage. After paying homage to Gandhi on his death anniversary in Bengaluru, he said, "There are people amongst us who worship (Nathuram) Godse though they speak about Mahatma Gandhi as well."

When asked about the tense situation in Mandya, Siddaramaiah took a jibe at the Opposition parties saying, "Attempts are being made to disturb peace. Those disturbing peace are the descendants of Godse. People should live with love and trust for peace in the society. No one should try to inflame communal passions".

Siddaramaiah reiterated that the Keragodu Panchayat had granted permission to hoist tricolour or Karnataka flag only and not any religious or political flag. He questioned, "Why did they (organisers of the event in Keragodu who hoisted a saffron flag) go against their own written submission for permission to conduct the event? It was done to gain political mileage and create unrest in society," as per PTI.

The authorities later replaced the Hanuman Dhwaja with the national flag.

Mandya Flag Row: Panchayat Development Officer Suspended

In response to the flag controversy, the Chief Executive Officer of Mandya Zila Panchayat, Sheikh Tanveer Asif, took action by suspending the Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) of Keragodu village on Monday. The suspension order highlighted that the PDO allowed the hoisting of the Hanuman flag despite official permission being granted only for the Indian tricolour. It was only on January 28, that the Panchayat Sub-divisional Officer along with Tehsildar and police officers removed the flag, which created a law and order problem for which the PDO was held accountabl, reported PTI.  

Meanwhile, some Congress workers distributed tricolour flags at every house in the village and asked people to be committed to the country.  In a related development, the Keragodu police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against those who had allegedly hoisted the Hanuman flag on the flagpole constructed by Sri Gaurishankar Trust in the village.

Many accused have been booked under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongful restraint), 353 (deterring public servant from discharging duties) and 149 (vicarious liability of members of the unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code, as per PTI.

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