Tipu celebrations; calm returning to violence-hit Madikeri

Uneasy calm prevailed here and elsewhere in Kodagu district where a BJP enforced a bandh today, a day after being rocked by violence over celebrations of the birth centenary of 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan that claimed the life of a local VHP leader.
A youth who received gunshot wounds during the violent incidents yesterday was "very critical" at a private hospital in Mysuru, a senior police official said.
IGP (Southern Range) B K Singh, who had denied the shooting yesterday, confirmed that one person had suffered gunshot wounds, adding, he could not say who did it and only a probe would bring it out.

He also said he had no information yesterday about the incident.
The Regional Commissioner in Mysuru would inquire into the entire circumstances leading to the violence yesterday, he said.
Meanwhile, the body of 60-year old Kuttappa, who died during the violence with the circumstances leading to his death not being clear, was buried at Madapura near here.

Several BJP leaders, including Union Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, party state unit President Prahlad Joshi and MPs Naleen Katil and Pratap Simha were in attendance.
Police maintain that the victim fell from a boundary wall as he tried to escape stone-throwing crowds during a district-wide shutdown called against the celebrations. But eyewitness claim he suffered severe head injuries in stone- throwing and died.

In Bengaluru, Home Minister G Parameshwara said that according to initial reports, the victim fell from a compound wall and the post mortem report was being awaited.
He also said the situation was returning to normal and the additional forces deployed in Madikeri would continue to remain there for some more days.
Parameshwara said if BJP had not given a call for bandh, "certain incidents" would not have occurred and the party should introspect rather than blaming the government for organising the Tipu Sultan birth anniversary celebrations.
The entire district observed a bandh today in response to the call given by BJP and other organisations.

In Bengaluru, BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits staged demonstrations against the government over the Madikeri violence and the remarks of Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad.
Karnad had said that it would have been "apt" had the Bengaluru International Airport at Devanahalli near here been named after Tipu Sultan rather than Kempegowda, a feudatory ruler under erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire who founded Bengaluru in 1537.