Prohibitory orders have been imposed in Karnataka’s Shivamogga after tension over Independence Day posters put up aross the district. A poster of Veer Savarkar was displayed at Ameer Ahmed circle in the district, and a few Muslim youths had voiced their opposition to the same. In response, pro-Hindu groups had objected to efforts to remove the poster, prompting the police to impose prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC in some areas.
Tension erupted after a few Muslim youth tried to remove Savarkar’s poster and replace it with one of Tipu Sultan. On August 15, Muslim youths tore down the Savarkar’s poster as a mark of protest, prompting the Shivamogga police to resort mild lathicharge to disperse the protesters.
On Sunday, August 14, Shivamogga police had arrested four persons belonging to the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) on charges of obstructing officials of the city corporation from discharging their duties at an exhibition of photos of freedom fighters at City Centre mall in the district. The city corporation had arranged a photo exhibition of freedom fighters at the City Centre mall in Shivamogga as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, and one of the photos put up was that of Savarkar.
A few SDPI activists objected to Savarkar’s photo, alongside freedom fighters including Mahatma Gandhi and Chandrashekhar Azad. They claimed that Savarkar wasn’t a freedom fighter and criticised the mall for displaying his photo amongst the notable freedom fighters. Additionally, they organised a dharna in front of the mall to call for the removal of Veer Savarkar’s picture.
VD Savarkar was a proponent of Hindutva ideology and wrote a book titled ‘Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?’, which was originally published as Essentials of Hindutva. Savarkar has received criticism for not joining the freedom movement after being released from prison in 1924. He was also accused of plotting the murder of Mahatma Gandhi, but the court cleared him due to a lack of evidence.