Mandya: Keragodu, one of the hobli headquarters in Mandya taluk, turned tense on Sunday after Police lathi-charged the villagers and activists of Hindu organisations who were protesting against the removal of Hanuma Dhwaja (Hanuma Flag) from a flag-post in the village. Keragodu was an Assembly Constituency of Mandya district until 2008.

Several Hindu activists and villagers sustained injuries in the Police lathi-charge and all the injured were shifted to Mandya District Hospital for treatment.

Trouble began when the authorities late on Saturday night removed the Hanuma Dhwaja and tied the National flag to the flag-post located in front of Keragodu Rangamandira, which was strongly opposed by the villagers and Hindu activists.

Later, the protest turned violent when the Police lathi-charged the group of villagers and activists who tried to break through the Police barricades and cordon.

Following the tension that engulfed the entire village after the  lathi-charge, the Mandya Police clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in the village until further orders. Meanwhile, the village wore the look of an undeclared bandh on Sunday, with almost all shops downing their shutters. 

The Opposition BJP and JD(S) have blamed local Congress MLA Ganiga Ravikumar for the incident, accusing him of fostering violence.

Following the prevalence of tension, a BJP team led by Opposition Leader R. Ashok visited the village yesterday afternoon to interact with the villagers, Hindu activists, BJP and JD(S) workers and to receive inputs from them regarding the incident.

However, BJP leaders Ashok, Dr. C.N. Ashwathnarayan, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, Preetam Gowda, Suresh Gowda, Narayanagowda, Dr. Indresh, Ashok Jayaram and Sachidanand, JD(S) leaders B.R. Ramachandra, M.S. Raghunandan and others were taken into preventive custody by the Police  and were released late yesterday night.

Speaking about the incident, Mandya District In-charge Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy alleged that there was a lot of politics behind the incident.

Maintaining that neither he nor the Mandya MLA had any role in the incident, Minister Cheluvarayaswamy said that the religious flag that was hoisted at Keragodu was removed as it was against the Constitution.

Pointing out that only the National Flag can be hoisted in Gram Panchayat limits, Cheluvarayaswamy said that, however, there is no provision for hosting a religious flag in Government spaces. He further said that the Gram Panchayat had given permission only for hoisting the National Flag.

Call for Mandya Bandh on Feb. 9

Meanwhile, Bajarang Dal has called for Mandya bandh on Feb. 9 in protest against the Keragodu Hanuma Dhwaja  incident, during which the Police lathi-charged the protestors who were protesting against the removal of the Hanuma Dhwaja.