The District Unit of the Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Maha Sabha has urged the state govenment to  ban the contriversial book `Aanu Deva Horaganavanu’ allegdly denigrating the 12th century social reformer Basavaeshwara.
A delegation of the Maha Sabha led by its district president Basavareddy Itagi called on the deputy commissioner here on Friday and submitted a memorandum to the chief minister urging him to take immediate steps to ban the book written by Dr Banjagere Jayaprakash in the interests of communal peace and social tranquility.
The Maha Sabha has charged the author with writing without any substantiation that Basavanna belonged to the Madiga (a scheduled caste) community.  The castigation of Basavanna in poor light has hurt millions of followers of Basavanna and also the Veerashaiva Samaj.
 ``The book may create social and communal disturbances.  And it is imperative for the government to ban the book in the over all interests of law and order’’ the memorandum said.
The Maha Sabha has warned that the government will be held responsible for any undue consequences in future if the book was not banned.
Meanwhile Zilla Veerashaiva Vidyarthi Okkoota has also demanded the banning of the book. Okkoota President Suresh Patil Jogur alleged that the author of the book has blatantly abused the freedom of expression guaranteed in the constitution and has caused a great harm to the religion and the society.
He said Basavanna was a great persoanality and it would be unwise to brand him with a particular caste.