BJP and Congress workers clashed in Pune following controversial remarks equating Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with Tipu Sultan, leading to injuries and police intervention.
'Tipu Sultan was no doubt a valiant fighter who vigorously opposed the British, but that cannot mitigate the fact that he was also by all accounts a religious bigot -- a figure incompatible with modern secular times,' says Vivek Gumaste.
The BJP objected to the name claiming that Tipu Sultan had persecuted Hindus and hence his name was unacceptable for a public facility.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday protested the 'naming' of a renovated garden in Mumbai after Tipu Sultan, claiming that the 18th century Mysore ruler persecuted Hindus and his name was unacceptable for a public facility.
A rare 18th century decorated gun made in India for Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan, and valued at around GBP 2 million, has been barred from export to allow time for a UK-based institution to acquire it for the public study of a "fraught period" in India-UK history.
In 2003, the 200-year-old sword was bought with much fanfare by liquor baron Vijay Mallya.
The chief minister, on the occasion of Republic Day, uncovered Tipu Sultan's portrait among 70 other personalities.
'I am very sure that Rajnikanth, a patriot and a spiritual person, will not do this movie which is about a tyrant, killer and murderer,' BJP leader H Raja tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com
Auction house Bonhams has sold a spectacular collection of arms and armour once owned by Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan for over 6 million pounds (Rs 56.8 crore).
Mallya said he bought the majestic sword at an auction from the descendants of Major General Baird, who was presented with it through the then army commander Lt General Harris more than 200 years ago.
The Congress government's move to celebrate the birth anniversary of the 18th century legendary king Tipu Sultan has stirred a controversy in Karnataka, with the Bharatiya Janata Party alleging that it was an attempt by the ruling party to strengthen its vote bank.
Demanding action against those who allegedly put the image of the 18th-century Mysore ruler along with an offensive dialogue on their social media profiles, a group of right-wing activists held a protest on Tuesday. Police pacified them and told them to return.
As part of the 76th Independence Day celebrations, one group had tried to tie Savarkar's flex to the high mast light pole at the circle, to which the other group objected and wanted to install Tipu Sultan's flex there.
What's your take? Was Tipu Sultan a tyrant or a freedom fighter?
Amid the raging controversy regarding Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, the Vokkaliga chieftains who according to a section allegedly killed erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan, a prominent seer of the community on Monday urged putting an end to the issue, citing lack of historical evidence in this regard.
A court in Bengaluru has granted an interim stay on the distribution and sale of a book on Tipu Sultan, on a plea, saying it contained wrong information about the ruler of the erstwhile Mysuru Kingdom.
The government's decision to celebrate the day on November 10 last year had drawn much criticism from the BJP and the RSS, who termed this act of the Congress as "minority appeasement".
Opposing Tipu birth anniversary celebrations, Bharatiya Janata Party and pro-Hindu organisations had called for a bandh on Tuesday even as the district administration had made arrangements for the celebration.
RSS leader Sunil Ambekar says history textbooks have been revised, with titles like 'the great' removed from historical figures like Akbar and Tipu Sultan. He highlights the importance of India's ancient knowledge and the need to understand its history.
Under severe attack for his remarks that Bengaluru International airport should have been named after 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan rather than the city founder Kempegowda, Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad on Wednesday offered his apology.
'Tipu Sultan may have had his flaws, but that does not mean he can be axed from textbooks.' 'Besides, if it is Tipu today, who will it be tomorrow?' asks Shuma Raha.
Liquor baron Vijay Mallya has bought most of the items related to former Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan which went under the hammer for over 1 million pounds with Sotheby's auctioneers in London.
Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council K S Eshwarappa alleged that the government has 'misused' the office of the President by getting Tipu's name mentioned in the speech.
Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad on Tuesday said 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan would have enjoyed the same status as of Maratha king Chhatrapathi Shivaji, if he was a Hindu and not a Muslim.
'Do you want Tipu or Savarkar? Where should we send Tipu Sultan? What did Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda do? In the same way he should be knocked out and sent off'
The recently discovered gem-encrusted gold finial plundered from Tipu Sultan's huge golden throne is being put up for sale in the British capital on April 2, ten years after it was found lying in the vaults of an English bank.
The situation in Maharashtra's Kolhapur is gradually returning to normal, a day after violence during a demonstration against the alleged use of Tipu Sultan's image along with an objectionable audio message as social media 'status' by a few locals, a senior police official said on Thursday.
The Archaeological Survey of India informed the JPC that 280 protected monuments have been listed as Waqf properties.
Dominic Xavier offers his take on the BJP's Tiger dilemma -- boast of India's success in enlarging the tiger population on the planet and airbrush the 'Tiger of Mysore's presence out of Karnataka history.
Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad and Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Prathap Simha have allegedly received death threats on social media as the controversy rages in Karnataka over the birth anniversary celebrations of 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan.
Tipu has been made divisive by people who want to use his name to milk their ends on either side of the debate, as there are ample examples to suit both arguments, says Vikram Sampath
Tipu was a ruler of the erstwhile kingdom of Mysore and considered an implacable enemy of the British East India Company.
Tipu Sultan is a controversial figure in Kodagu district as Kodavas (Coorgis), a martial race, believe thousands of their men and women were seized and held captive during his occupation and subjected to torture, death and forcible conversion to Islam.
The state BJP, meanwhile, has urged the government to drop its decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti and not to stand on 'prestige' or 'ego'.
The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday questioned the state government's logic behind celebrating the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan, observing he wasn't a freedom fighter but a monarch who fought to safeguard his interests.
'Ashok the Great did not slaughter foreigners or Muslims when he conquered Kalinga. It was Oriya- speaking Hindus whom he butchered by the tens of thousands. But Ashok is called Great, and his lion emblem is the official symbol of the Republic of India.' 'Why do we honour Ashoka and not Tipu, when both men are accused of the same crime?' asks Aakar Patel.
The bandh call was given after two youths were stabbed, one fatally, near Mangaluru.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made in districts like Kodagu and Chitradurga, coastal regions among others, where local communities are opposed to the celebrations.
'A 14-year-old boy kept a status message in praise of Aurangzeb on a social media platform on Thursday. A complaint was received in this connection, based on which an offence was registered at Ashti police station'
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