A day after his remarks that Kempegowda International Airport should have been named after Tipu Sultan instead of the Bengaluru founder set off protests in the State, Jnanpith recipient Girish Karnad apologised on Wednesday. Mr. Karnadsaid he would apologise if his remarks had hurt anyone. He was neither trying to trigger a change in the name of the airport nor did he want to hurt anybody’s sentiments.
Meanwhile, the death toll in group clashes in Madikeri, during protests by right-wing groups against observing Tipu Jayanti on Tuesday, increased to two.
Kodagu district, which witnessed sporadic incidents of violence in which a VHP leader was allegedly killed in protests on Tuesday, increased to two, with a 23-year-old youth, who had received bullet injuries on the head, succumbed at a private hospital in Mysuru on Wednesday evening.
However, the situation was under control in the entire Kodagu district on Wednesday.
Home Minister G. Parameshwara announced that a magisterial inquiry would be ordered into the episode, while a special police team has been formed to probe the clash. Security has been stepped up in sensitive areas of the State.
Meanwhile, historians felt contemporary politicisation of Tipu’s legacy has not only led to communal unrest in the State, but has also distorted history and come in the way of an objective evaluation of his tenure and legacy.
