A day after a protest rally was organised by the workers of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) broke out in Mandya, Karnataka, which resulted in stone pelting and the imposition of Section 144 due to the removal of a Hanuman flag, the Mandya district administration has suspended Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) of Keragodu Gram Panchayat and held him accountable for the escalation in the village concerning the hoisting of a flag featuring the image of Lord Hanuman on Sunday.
In the directive issued on January 29, Jeevan B M was suspended for neglecting his duties, and a departmental inquiry was initiated against him. The official is accused of allowing Sri Gowrishankar Seva Trust to erect a flagpole on government land, a violation of the law. The proceedings of the Mandya Zilla Panchayat state that the leasing, selling, or transferring of government land requires prior consent from the government, Zilla, or Taluk Panchayat,according to The Indian Express.
Permitting the construction of the flagpole without informing higher authorities constituted a dereliction of duty. Additionally, despite the Trust being granted permission only to hoist the national or state flag, the PDO took no action when the Hanuman flag was raised at the pole situated on government land, as noted in the order.
The PDO was suspended as per Rule 210 of the Karnataka Grama Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act, 1993.
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What led to protests in Karnataka?
Following the Hanuman flag controversy in Karnataka’s Mandya district, the BJP, JD(S), and Hindu right-wing outfits marched from Keragodu village to the deputy commissioner’s office on Monday, demanding action against the removal of the saffron flag.
The controversy broke out on Saturday when authorities removed a ‘Hanuman dhwaja,’ a saffron flag featuring Lord Hanuman’s portrait, from a 108-ft tall flagpole. The police and administration replaced the flag with the tricolor, leading to a political confrontation between the ruling Congress government and the opposition BJP and JD(S) in the state.
The action was taken following a complaint that the trust had hoisted the saffron flag despite receiving permission only to hoist the national or state flag from the local grama panchayat, as the flagpole was installed on government land.
In response to the Hanuman flag controversy in Karnataka’s Mandya district, the BJP, JD(S), and Hindu right-wing outfits conducted a march on Monday from Keragodu village to the deputy commissioner’s office.
They demanded action against the authorities for removing the saffron flag. During the march, some protesters pelted stones and tore down banners of the ruling Congress, prompting the police to resort to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd and detain some of the party workers.
Reacting to the incident, the Congress accused the BJP of resorting to “such tactics” to create a base in Mandya district, where the saffron party has struggled to make inroads over the years.
BJP leader CT Ravi demanded that the state government publicly apologise and allow the saffron flag to be hoisted again on the pole. “This is a sin committed by the district administration,” he said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the BJP creates such controversies when it lacks an issue to fight elections on. “If they (the trust) acted as per permission, why would the district administration interfere? The trust had said that it would hoist either the national or state flag,” he told reporters at Tumkur. He added that the trust had also assured that it would not hoist any religious flag.