Hanuman flag row in K'taka: Panchayat Development Officer suspended

MANDYA: Amid simmering tension in Mandya over the removal of the Hanuman flag from a 108-foot-tall flagpost, the Keragodu village Panchayat Development Officer has been suspended.

The order issued by Mandya Zila Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Tanveer Asif on Monday said the permission was granted only to hoist the Indian tricolour at Keragodu village. However, the PDO not only gave an opportunity to the people to hoist the Hanuman flag, but also did not take steps to remove it, the order said.

It was only on January 28, that the Panchayat Sub-divisional Officer along with Tehsildar and police officers removed the flag, which created a law and order problem for which the PDO was held accountable.

As the Opposition BJP and its ally JD(S) staged a massive protest in Mandya against the removal of the Hanuman flag and its restoration, security was beefed up on Monday.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the opposition BJP and JD(S) of trying to instigate the people over the issue, with an eye on the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Police on Sunday had resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd at Keragodu village, and subsequently hoisted the national flag replacing Hanuman flag in the presence of officials of the administration.

On Monday, the protestors marched from Keragodu to the Deputy Commissioner's office in the district headquarters of Mandya, covering a distance of about 14 km, holding saffron flags amid chants of "Jai Sri Ram". They also raised slogans against the Congress government.

BJP leaders C T Ravi and Preetham Gowda and JD(S) leaders Suresh Gowda and K Annadani joined the demonstrators.

As the march reached Mandya city, police resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd as some of the activists allegedly tried to bring down a flex board featuring the image of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders, according to official sources.

Later, scores of protestors gathered near the Deputy Commissioner's office, where police were deployed in large numbers and barricades were erected.

Ravi and the JD(S) leaders along with former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy addressed the crowd.