New Delhi: Battle lines have been drawn in Karnataka's Mandya district after officials last week took down a saffron-coloured Hanuman flag hoisted by a local religious organisation, leading to protests in the village of Keragodu and nearby areas that escalated into a political row between the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular).
The situation remains tense in and around Keragodu village, where police and security personnel have been deployed since Sunday to counter protests demanding the Hanuman flag be raised again.
READ | Congress vs BJP As Hanuman Flag Removed In Karnataka
Visuals of protests this morning in Mandya and other parts of the state, including Bengaluru, show dozens of men and women, brandishing Hanuman flags or wearing saffron scarves, clash with the police. One video, shared by news agency ANI, showed police detaining BJP workers in Bengaluru.
Another underlined continuing tension in the Keragodu village area - where orders banning large gathering have been in place since last evening - and a third, from when the flag was taken down, showed protesters and police, armed with lathis, facing-off over metal barricades that are overrun.
On Sunday a large police contingent was positioned after people from the village, as well as a mob of BJP, JDS, and Bajrang Dal members, gathered to protest. Police resorted to a mild lathi charge, news agency PTI said.
What Was The Hanuman Flag Incident?
Sources said Keragodu village residents, and those of a dozen others in the region, funded the installation of the flag near a temple. Reports indicated the BJP and JDS were also involved.
When the flag post was completed, the villagers ran up the Hanuman flag, prompting protests from other individuals who complained to the district administration. Acting on these complaints, the taluk panchayat chief executive directed the gram panchayat officials to remove the flag, PTI said.
Officials said the Sri Gourishankar Seva Trust had been allowed to fly the national flag, and that hoisting the Hanuman flag was a violation of the rules. The flag was pulled down, prompting protests.
The former Vice President of the village panchayat has said the letter requesting permission to hoist a flag referred specifically to its use for "religious purposes". "The Chief Minister does not know the reality of this controversy... the district officer has given him wrong information," Virupaksha said.
"When we wrote the request letter, we mentioned would also use this for religious purposes. What we are requesting is to permit us to hoist the saffron flag," the former village leader stressed.
Political Row Over Hanuman Flag Removal
The Hanuman flag row has led, predictably, to an attack on the Congress, with the BJP and JDS, fresh from an alliance before the general election, accusing the government of "appeasement politics".
The opposition has begun a 'padyatra' from Keragodu to the District Collector's office.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, have both played down their rivals' attacks.
On Sunday the Chief Minister said it was incorrect to hoist the Hanuman flag when permission had not been instead of the national flag. This morning, Mr Shivakumar said, "Let them do politics (if they want)... but they should not take the law into their hands. We respect all religions..."
Meanwhile, BJP workers are protesting, at district HQs across the state, against the "anti-Hindu policy" of the Congress government, whom they have accused of "insulting" the national flag.
Impact Of Hanuman Flag Removal Protests
Life in Keragodu village is at a standstill; police have erected barricades around the flagpole and CCTV cameras have been installed to ensure no untoward incidents occur, sources told PTI.
Most shops and business in the village have either shut down or been forced to shut.
Hanuman Flag Protests After Ram Temple 'Pran Pratishtha'
Protests over the removal of the flag come less than a week after the 'pran pratishtha', or consecration, of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, at a grand event headlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The temple - built where a 16th century mosque stood before it was razed by a right-wing mob in 1992, led to riots that killed 2,000 people - was consecrated after the Supreme Court's landmark decision in November 2019, in which Hindu petitioners were awarded the site.
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"Lord Ram has arrived," the Prime Minister had said after leading the consecration, and an emotional PM also said he "sought Lord Ram's forgiveness for the delay in constructing the temple".
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