In protests that turned violent in Madikeri, Karnataka, police lathi-charged protesters who were rallying against the state government’s decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti on November 10, to commemorate the Mysore ruler’s 165th birth anniversary.
The death of a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activist, who was found murdered in the area, only made the protests more violent. 50-year-old Kuttayya, the organising secretary of the VHP’s Kodagu district died in Kodagu district hospital after being injured in stone-pelting in Madikeri on Tuesday morning, as per local media reports. Two others are reportedly injured.
However, police maintains that the man died falling off a building.
An ideological war in underway in Karnataka, over the celebration of Tipu’s birthday. While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah feels that Tipu was a ‘secular’ ruler, Hindu-right organisations in the state and Catholics feel otherwise. They cite historical accounts, which say that Tipu was a tyrant who killed, or converted by force thousands of non-Muslims, and also destroyed Churches and temples.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is against the celebration. Reacting to the death, the BJP today said that there should be a probe into it. It added that the police crackdown was unjustified, as people have a right to protest, and the government must not honour such people.