News Brief
Karnataka: BJP Protests Against Removal Of Hanuman Flag; CM Siddaramaiah Says Permission Was For Tricolour, Not Saffron Flag
A saffron flag (Vivek Joshi/Wikimedia)
The situation in Karnataka's Keragodu village of Mandya district became tense after the police force brought down the Hanuman flag hoisted by the Gram Panchayat Board on a 108-foot flagpole on Sunday (28 January).
Protesting against it, the BJP's Karnataka unit, along with its new ally Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)], launched a padayatra (foot march) today. However, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused the BJP of politicising the issue.
After the flag was brought down, the CM said, "It is not right to fly the saffron flag instead of the national flag. They should have hoisted the national flag."
Section 144 has been imposed in the village, which prohibits the gathering of more than four people.
Notably, the permission for the installation of the flagpole was granted by the village panchayat. However, when complaints were filed against it, officials asked for the removal of the Hanuman flag.
According to the District In-charge Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy, the flagpole's location falls under the panchayat's jurisdiction, and permission was initially granted for hoisting the national flag on Republic Day.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
