On 28th August, Wednesday, the Koppal district collector ordered the removal of decorative electric lamps on the streets of Gangavathi taluka, which is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. The electric lamps on the streets of the city portrayed ‘Gada’ and ‘Dhanush’ like ornamental structures, to symbolise the weapons carried by Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman.
As per the local reports, a police case against Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Corporation (KRIDL) has also been sought for allegedly portraying “Hindu religious symbols” on public lamps.
The action is being taken after the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which is the political wing of the banned Islamist terrorist organization Popular Front of India (PFI) raised objections over the lamps and stated that these were allegedly hurting their religious sentiments.
These poles are notably installed on the Rana Pratap Circle and Julia Nagar in the Gangavathi region for beautification. The official notification by the district collector stated that these poles could disturb the religious harmony in the city. “Since there are possibilities of disturbing public peace in the city, the poles should be immediately cleared. File a case against the KIRDL engineers for carrying out this work and take appropriate action,” the official notification read in Kannada.
Shame on Hindu Hater Congress!
Gangavathi, Karnataka is birthplace of Bhagwan Hanuman Ji. Street lights in shape of Gada, Bow and Arrow had been installed there.
SDPI wrote to Congress govt saying “these symbols threaten social peace”
Congress Govt has ordered removal of light… pic.twitter.com/Uw9qzde5R7
— Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) August 29, 2024
It is important to note that Anjanadri Hills in Gangavathi (Koppal district) is celebrated as the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. Earlier, BJP’s Janardan Reddy had demanded the development of Anjanadri hills on similar lines to Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama in Uttar Pradesh. He had also demanded the release of Rs 120 crores from the state funds for the development of the area, which is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman.
Public TV local reports suggest that the electric poles portraying symbols of arrows and ‘gada’ have been installed to instill religious motivation in the minds of devotees who travel on the path while on their way to the Anjanadri Hills. During the installation, it was also made clear that the act was being executed with no other communal intention. However, the Collector has asked removal of the lamps citing communal disharmony.
This is notably after the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which is the political wing of the banned Islamist terrorist organization Popular Front of India (PFI) raised objections over the lamps and stated that these were allegedly hurting their religious sentiments. “The electric poles contain religious symbols that might disturb communal harmony in Gangavati,” the SDPI had stated in the official notification on 21st August appealing to the Gangavati Municipal Assembly Commissioner for clarification.
The SDPI also claimed that these Hindu religious symbols on the electric poles threatened the society’s peace.
It is crucial to note that the poles have been installed on the streets of Gangavathi leading to Anjanadri Hills. The route lasts 12km. Local reports suggest that these religious symbols have been installed just to encourage the devotees walking on their way to Anjanadri Hills to worship Lord Hanuman.
The Hindu organizations meanwhile are believed to have questioned the orders asking what communal disharmony can be observed in all this. The Collector has ordered the removal of the light poles and is seeking to file a complaint against the engineer responsible for their installation. Further investigations in the case are underway.