Hindu outfit demands removal of Tipu Sultan’s name from Yadgir district circle; Section 144 imposed

Yadgir (Karnataka) [India], February 27 (ANI): Tension gripped Karnataka’s Yadgir district on Sunday over renaming the Tipu Sultan circle after Veer Savarkar.
On the orders of Additional Commissioner Shalum Hussain, Section 144 was imposed in Yadgir from Sunday 6 am till 11 pm on Monday to avoid any sort of untoward incidents, police said. Some right-wing organisations alleged that the circle was named after Tipu Sultan unofficially and demanded naming it as ‘Savarkar Circle’.

Earlier on February 22, pro-Hindu organisation Shivaji Maharaj Sangathan alleged that supporters of Tipu Sultan named a circle after him in 2010 unofficially. They demanded renaming it after Veer Savarkar. The town municipal council said the name Tipu Sultan Circle is unofficial so it should be renamed. Earlier on February 21, the descendants of Tipu Sultan has slammed both BJP and the Congress for using the name of Tipu Sultan and trying to polarise votes in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly election.

“While BJP is trying to project Tipu Sultan as a villain, the Congress is trying to project him as a hero to gain the votes of his admirers,” said Sahebzada Mansoor Ali, the seventh-generation descendant of Tipu Sultan. “Tipu Sultan has created a history of his own. The manner in which the historical figure’s name is being used is wrong,” he added. “Tipu Sultan sacrificed his life for the country while fighting against the British,” he added.

Talking about the issue of Tipu Sultan being raised during the elections, Mansoor Ali said, “The dispute of Tipu Sultan began in 2015 when Siddaramaiah became the Chief Minister of Congress and celebrated Tipu Jayanti. The Jayanti was celebrated just in name. The main purpose of the celebrations was to attract the Muslims towards the Congress.”

Ali said that they have decided to file a defamation case against the indiscriminate use of the Tipu Sultan’s name for the polarisation of votes and are making legal preparations. “Our family has decided to take legal action and file a defamation case against those (BJP and Congress) who try to polarise votes in the name of Tipu Sultan. We will move court if these political parties raise the issue of Tipu Sultan in the elections,” he added.