Savarkar photo row: Shivamogga under tension, Sec 144 imposed

Shivamogga: The city went into a tizzy after a few youths suspected to belong to SDPI and PFI tore and destroyed a cut-out of Veer Savarkar at Amir Ahmed circle in the town during a function organised on the occasion of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and Tiranga rally in the city. The activists broke the cordon and entered the venue in big numbers and destroyed the cut-out of Veer Savarkar.

Following this, the few youths from Bajrang Dal and other fringe groups also got into a fight with the other group, the police resorted to a mild lathi charge and dispersed the crowd. The district officials lost no time in clamping the prohibitory orders under section 144 of the IPC in the central wards of Shivamogga city.

Superintendent of police Lakshmiprasad said the section will be in force for the next three days and the situation will be reviewed after three days. Following this incident, a small town in Gurupur in Mangaluru taluk also experienced some tension over the issue that happened in Shivamogga.