Protest against Tipu Jayanti, miscreants hurl stones at bus in Madikeri

Miscreants hurled stones at a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus during a protest against Tipu Jayanti celebrations in Madikeri on Friday.

Ahead of Tipu Sultan Jayanti celebrations, the district administration has imposed Section 144 and security has been imposed in Kodagu. On Tuesday, the Karnataka High Court refused to stay the Tipu Sultan birth anniversary celebrations on November 10. Also, the court issued a notice to the government to raise objections in four weeks on the contention that the day must never be celebrated.

This year also, the Siddaramaiah-led government is all set to celebrate Tipu Jayanti despite widespread protests and violence that had marred celebrations in the last two years. Large-scale communal violence erupted during the Tipu Jayanti celebrations in 2015 when it was first organised by the state government. Tipu was a ruler of the erstwhile kingdom of Mysore. He was considered an enemy of the British East India Company. Tipu was killed in May 1799, while defending his fort of Srirangapatna against the British forces.