Right wing members criticise police mandate on posters of freedom fighters

Belagavi (KTK), Sep 1 (PTI) Some right wing outfits and BJP leaders have flayed the police mandate for seeking permission to put up posters carrying photos of freedom fighters including Jawaharlal Nehru, and V D Savarkar at public places here.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar said people can put up photographs of the freedom fighters in Belagavi only after obtaining permission from the local municipal body.

“We have no objection if anyone want to put up photograph of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, but in public places one has to take permission from the local body to use photographs -- be it of Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Veer Savarkar,” Alok Kumar had said.

The ADGP had issued the orders apparently in view of tension in some places in Belagavi due to putting up posters carrying image of Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar at Ganesh Pandals.

Slamming the decision, BJP MLA Abhay Patil said Alok Kumar did not know the history of Belagavi due to which he gave such a statement.

For the first time in the entire South India, Ganesha idol was installed in Belagavi by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1905. Since then the tradition of putting up Tilak's photo at all the Ganesh Pandals started, the MLA said.

“What permission, which permission? Whose permission should we take to put Tilak and Savarkar's photograph? Are we putting up Afzal Guru's photograph? We had been putting up their photographs for many decades. When no permission was needed in the past, why is it required now?” Patil asked.

He said the tradition of Belagavi will follow and there was no need for any permission as the people of the district are not "cowards".

Right-wing outfit Sriram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik condemned the order of the ADGP.

“Which country are we living in Mr ADGP? Don't you know that Savarkar and Tilak were among those who got us independence? Do we need permission to put photographs of Savarkar who fought all through his life against the British regime?” Muthalik said.

He demanded that the ADGP apologise and withdraw his order.

Meanwhile, at Honnali in Davangere district, tension prevailed over miscreants tearing apart the posters bearing the photograph of Savarkar and Tilak along with the local BJP MLA M P Renukacharya in some places.

The right wing members staged a demonstration outside a police station demanding arrest of those who tore the posters. PTI GMS RS ROH ROH