JOIN USAn unidentified person on Tuesday tweeted that playwright Girish Karnad would meet the same fate as Prof M M Kalburgi, if he pressed his demand for renaming Kempegowda International Airport after Tipu Sultan.
Karnad, however, told the police that he was unaware of any such threat. “The person who posted the tweet, deleted it after some time. But someone who took a screen shot of the tweet, circulated it,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) B S Lokesh Kumar told Deccan Herald on Thursday. After learning about the tweet, the police contacted Karnad. He told the police that he did not use Facebook and Twitter and, hence, was not aware of such a tweet.
“He did not lodge any complaint and there is no case,” the DCP said. The police said that the identity of the person who tweeted is still unknown. The police heightened security in and around Karnad’s residence in JP Nagar of Bengaluru South from Tuesday evening after he made the Tipu remark at the State government-organised Tipu Jayanti earlier on that day. The police have also provided a gunman to the actor.
However, a statement on Karnad’s Twitter account on Thursday read “@KarnadHandle’s read Tweets are protected. Only confirmed followers have access to @KarnadHandle’s tweets and complete profile.”
Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad said it will block state and national highways across the state between 11 am and 12 noon on Friday in protest against the death of its activist Kuttappa during a rally against Tipu Jayanthi in Madikeri on Tuesday.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) State Organisational Secretary Gopal told presspersons here that the violent incidents in Madikeri were “pre-planned” and accused the state government of inaction.
After the two-day bandh in Kodagu district following clashes over Tipu Jayanthi, the situation was near normal in Madikeri on Thursday. Paramilitary personnel took out a march in Madikeri.
Bajrang Dal leader Ajith Kumar told mediapersons that the bandh called by Hindu organisations on November 13, condemning the death of Kuttappa, has been withdrawn.