Bengaluru has come under a thick security blanket ahead of the ‘Tipu Jayanti’ celebrations organised across the state by the government on Friday to mark the birth anniversary of the 18th century ruler of the Mysore Kingdom. A large number of policemen have been deployed in the sensitive places. No procession will be allowed in the city that is related to Tipu Jayanti, except for the one organised by the state government, according to police. Bengaluru Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar said, “We are not giving permission to any procession, whether it is in favour of Tipu Jayanti or against it. The government itself is celebrating the event in various parts of the city for which we have made elaborate arrangements.” [caption id=“attachment_2503872” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
File image of Tipu Sultan. Getty Images[/caption] He said 30 Karnataka State Reserved Police (KSRP) platoons and 25 armed platoons, besides policemen and officers of city police will be deployed. “There will be more than 11,000 policemen all over the city. Besides the regular police, we will deploy Home Guard personnel,” Suneel Kumar said. He said there will be celebrations only at the places identified by the government, adding that the police would deal firmly with those who plan to create trouble. “We have not made any preventive arrests so far but if the situation rises, section 144 (prohibitory order) may be imposed,” Kumar said. The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government started celebrating Tipu Jayanti two years ago. The BJP, some right wing groups and the members of Kodava community are opposing the celebrations alleging that Tipu was a religious “bigot” who had massacred many people and forced them to embrace Islam.
Tipu Sultan Jayanti updates: Section 144 imposed in Coorg; hundreds of BJP workers detained across Karnataka
Bengaluru has come under a thick security blanket ahead of the ‘Tipu Jayanti’ celebrations organised across the state by the government on Friday.
)
According to historian Richard Cavendish: “Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, or Tippoo Sahib as the British called him, was the Indian ruler who resisted the East India Company’s conquest of southern India. Public opinion in England considered him a vicious tyrant, while modern Indian nationalists have hailed him as a freedom fighter, but both views are the products of wishful thinking. A small, plump man with a round face and black moustache, who wore clothes glittering with jewels, Tipu was vigorous, forceful, brave, warlike and cruel; a devout Muslim ruling a mainly Hindu population. He had inherited the throne from his father Haidar Ali, who had driven out the previous Hindu dynasty.”
BJP protesters detained in Karwar
Financial Express reports that BJP workers protesting against Tipu Jayanti celebrations in Karwar have been detained by the police.
Karnataka DCP Renuka Sukumar says over 150 BJP workers have been detained
Section 144 imposed in Coorg, reports Financial Express
Section 144 has already been imposed in Kodagu.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar backs Tipu Jayanti celebrations, says we should learn from the good he has done
Hubballi: 200 BJP workers detained for protesting against Tipu Jayanti without permission
Karnataka chief minister’s official twitter account hails “Tiger of Mysore”
Members of Tipu Sultan United Front gather outside Bengaluru’s Tipu Sultan Palace
Anti-Tipu Jayani protests break out in Karnataka
20 people have been detained in Gulbarga while 50 were detained in Shimoga, according to CNN-News18.
Protesters set tyres on fire, raise slogans against government
Protesters staging protest on NH4 in Nelamangala sat in the middle of the road and raised slogans against the government, reports Financial Express . They also set tyres on fire.
BJP workers detained in Udupi as well
Police detains BJP workers taking part in anti-Tipu Jayanti protests in Karnataka’s Hubli & Kodagu
Historian Irfan Habib weighs in
BJP says Congress govt worried about Tipu instead of state’s public
BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain on Friday said that Congress government in Karnataka is not paying attention to the problem of public, Sify New reported. BJP spokesperson Zafar Islam said that Congress performs these kinds of stunts to appease people
Ram Nath Kovind’s praise for Tipu Sultan had reignited debate over Tipu
Historians and teachers see Tipu Sultan as a secular, progressive king
The Economic Times called Tipu Sultan the original innovator. The Tiger of Mysore was constantly looking for the best global technology for his kingdom. Records suggest that he developed industries, laid the foundation of the silk trade and encouraged foreign technology. For this, he establisehd banking networks and cooperatives.
Tipu Sultan finds support from the little ones: In Bengaluru, a seven-year-old dresses up as Tipu Sultan
Madikeri MLA, MLC detained for opposing Tipu Jayanti
Legislators representing Madikeri (MLA Appachu Ranjan and MLC Sunil Subramani) were detained for opposing Tipu Jayanti event by waving black flag, reported Deccan Herald .
BJP’s bandh call in Madikeri to oppose Tipu Jayanti gets good response
RECAP: Karnataka HC rejects plea for interim stay on Tipu Jayanti celebrations
The Karnataka High Court rejected an interim prayer seeking a stay on ‘Tipu Jayanti’ celebrations to be held across the state and directed the state government to file objections to the petitioner’s submissions on the matter in four weeks.
The petitioner, KP Manjunath, sought a direction to restrain the celebrations in his home district of Kodagu, saying it would foment communal disharmony.
The order was passed by a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice HG Ramesh and Justice PS Dinesh Kumar after the petitioner failed to convince the court which had sought to know whether the expenses on Tipu Jayanti celebrations were being incurred by the state.
Did Tipu Sultan choose his royal emblems (the tiger, the Sun) to endear himself to non-Muslim subjects?
In her book Tiger: The Life of Tipu Sultan (extract available on Scroll ), Kate Brittlebank discusses whether Tipu Sultan chose his royal emblems to endear himself to non-Muslim subjects.
Varying accounts of Tipu Sultan’s treatment of Hindus at root of conflict
The conflict over Tipu Sultan’s legacy arose due to the various historical accounts of how he treated Hindus during his rule between 1782 and 1799, according to Livemint . A local community called the Kodavas say that Tipu Sultan was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of their community members. They add that the ruler had used torture to convert people to Islam.
Images of the bus at which stones were thrown in Madikeri
Visuals of increased security in Kalaburagi in Karnataka
RECAP: Ram Nath Kovind’s praise for Tipu Sultan reignites debate over Mysore ruler
President Ram Nath Kovind, while addressing a joint session of Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council on the 60th anniversary of Vidhan Soudha had hailed Tipu’s sacrifice. He said, “Tipu Sultan died a historic death fighting the British. He also pioneered the use of Mysore rockets in warfare.” Congress members thumped the desks in appreciation as the President mentioned Tipu’s name, much to the embarrassment of the BJP members present in the Assembly.
RECAP: Union minister Anantkumar Hegde asks Karnataka govt to not invite him to ‘shameful’ Tipu Jayanti
In October, Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Anantkumar Hegde had asked the top officials of the Karnataka government to not include his name in the programme invitations for Tipu Jayanti.
In a letter addressed to the chief secretary of the state and the deputy commissioner of Uttara Kannada district, Hegde directed them to not invite him to the “shameful event” to mark the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan on 10 November. Making the request public on Twitter, Hedge said Tipu Sultan was “knwon as (a) brutal killer, wretched fanatic and mass rapist”.
BJP MLA tells Siddaramaiah to go to Pakistan
Belagavi Rural BJP MLA Sanjay Patil pulled out the standard anti-national remark as he told Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah to go to Pakistan, reported India Today . He also questioned whether Siddaramaiah was born in Lahore or Mysuru.
Stones thrown at Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus in Madikeri as protests continue against Tipu Jayanti celebrations
RECAP: BJP, RSS had protested Tipu Jayanti celebrations at Bengaluru’s Town Hall
On Wednesday, hundreds of BJP and RSS workers had gathered at the Town Hall in Bengaluru to protest the state government’s planned Tipu Jayanti celebrations across Karnataka on Friday, Zee News had reported.
Muslims form significant portion of AHINDA (acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalit) which had helped the Congress win in 2013
Writing for Livemint , Sharan Poovanna asserts that the Siddaramaiah-led state government is insisting on celebrating Tipu Jayanti as Muslims make up a significant portion of the chief minister’s AHINDA (acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalit) support base which helped him win in 2013.
Kodagu district administration imposes prohibitory orders for 48 hours
The Times of India quoted Kodagu district collector Richard Vincent as saying that these orders will help maintain law and order in the district. These will however not apply to government events and celebrations in Madikeri, Virajpet and Somwarpet.
State machinery clicks into high gear; BJP calls protests across state
BJP has called protests across Karnataka, according to India Today . The State machinery has clicked into high gear as CCTV cameras have been installed, history sheeters have been made to sign bonds which say that they won’t cause any problems, and sale of liquor has been banned for the day.
Karnataka Congress tweets about Tipu Jayanti
Police conducted a flag march in sensitive areas of Mysuru
In Mysuru, the police took out a flag march in sensitive areas of the city on Wednesday, reported City Today .
BJP terms Congress government’s Tipu Jayanti celebrations as Muslim appeasement
The News Minute reported that the BJP has termed the Congress government’s move of observing Tipu Jayanti as an act of Muslim appeasement. Its leaders have asked that they not be invited to the celebrations.
Prohibitory orders in five Karnataka districts
Five Karnataka districts are under prohibitory orders and these could be extended to other districts if needed, said the police, according to The Times of India . Further, 1000 mischief-mongers have been taken into preventive custody in different parts of the state.