Hubballi: Photos of Savarkar, Tilak removed from pandal

HUBBALLI: Officials from the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) have removed posters with Bal Gangadhar Tilak and VD Savarkar’s photos in a flex placed behind the Ganesha idol that was installed at Idgah Maidan in Hubballi.

Ranichennamma Maidan Gajanan Utsav Samiti and various organisations demanded that the HDMC allow them to install the Ganesha idol at Rani Chennamma Maidan, popularly known as Idgah Maidan. The HDMC gave the nod, but Anjuman-e-Islam sought intervention of the Karnataka High Court and the court passed the order granting liberty to the HDMC Commissioner to exercise power under Section 176 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act.

Hindu organisations installed the Ganesha idol on Wednesday morning, amid tight police security. Later, some Hindu organisations placed flexes of V D Savarkar, Bhagat Singh and Shivaji at the entrance of the pandal and also placed a banner carrying Ranichennamma Maidan Gajanan Utsav Samiti with photos of Balagangadhar Tilak and Savarkar on Wednesday afternoon.

The police, who were deployed for security at the Idgah Maidan, objected to placing flexes with photos. Even then, the organisers managed to place the flex, saying they were putting up banners with pictures of Balagangadhar Tilak and Savarkar, who started Ganeshotsava in the country.

Later in the evening, under the direction of HDMC Commissioner Dr Gopalkrishna B, staff managed to convince the organisers to remove the banner behind the Ganesha idol. The organisers removed all flexes and banners in the maidan.

The HDMC commissioner gave permission to install the idol at the maidan with certain conditions, including not to place any photo, flex or banner carrying any photos. But the organisers violated it and later removed them after instruction.Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar and BJP leaders visited the maidan and participated in the aarti programme on Wednesday evening.