Karnataka: Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary row claimed another life on Wednesday after one of the protestors hit by a bullet and succumbed to his injury in a private hospital in Mysore.
The victim has been identified Sohail Ahmed (23) who had received a bullet injury on his head. He was rushed to a private hospital in Mysore and his condition was stated to be critical. Later his condition worsens and he died.
Anwar Shah, a descendant of Tipu Sultan, expressed his displeasure over the whole controversy. He said, "I would like to appeal that Prime Minister should intervene in to the matter to end this controversy. These are deliberate protests and it is unfortunate that history of Tipu Sultan was distorted. We are unable to understand the policies of the central government".
On November 10, 2015, a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activist DS Kuttappa was allegedly killed while several others injured during a series of clashes across Karnataka. Clashes erupted after supporters of right wing groups protested against the government's decision to celebrate Tipu Sultan Jayanti on Tuesday.
Several groups had turned violent during the protests and threw stones at each other. Situation worsens following the killing of Kuttappa in Madikeri. He was a well known personality in the town and was allegedly hacked to death when one of the groups identified him as a VHP leader.
Trouble started after the Congress government in the state had decided to celebrate the birth centenary of the 18th century ruler who died fighting against the British. The move has been opposed by the Sangh Parivar, who said the ruler was intolerant who persecuted Hindus and converted people to Islam.
The decision has led to unrest and various Hindu groups threatened to agitate against the decision. Meanwhile, Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad added fuel in the fire after he stated that Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru could be named after Tipu Sultan. He also said that Tipu would have enjoyed the same status as of Maratha king Chhatrapathi Shivaji, if he was a Hindu and not a Muslim. He has received a death threat for his remark and given adequate security by the state government.
Karnad, who participated in the Congress-led Karnataka government's Tipu Jayanti celebrations, was threatened through microblogging site twitter that he would meet the same fate as MM Kalburgi (77). Kalburgi was shot dead on August 30, 2015 at his residence in Dharwad district of Karnataka by two unidentified men for allegedly denouncing superstition and idol worship.
On the context of Karnad statement on Tipu, Union Urban Development Minister, Venkaiah Naidu said, "The state government should not hurt public sentiments. People respect Kempegowda and he was a great person. Any discussion on naming airport after his name is meaningless. One should not add fuel to fire and I would like to say that criticizing Kempegowda is wrong".
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