Complaint against Kannada activist for defacing MCC nameboard

Mysuru: A minority community leader has complained to Narasimharaja (NR) police station, against Kannada activists, on the defacing of a nameboard of a circle in Mysuru on Tuesday.

K C Showkath Pasha, general secretary of Mysuru Beedi Mazdoor Association, has complained to the Inspector of Police of NR station, that a few miscreants have defaced the nameboard at Azeez Sait Circle, installed by the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) on Bengaluru Road. “The miscreants have painted the name of the circle, written in Urdu, with black colour, causing disturbance and resentment among the public,” the complaint states.

The complaint urges the police to register an appropriate case against the persons, as their actions appear to be an attempt to create disturbance and disharmony between communities on linguistic grounds.

However, M B Naganna Gowda, a Kannada activist from Mandya, who was one among those detained, regarding the incident, said, “We are not against the naming of the circle after the late minister Azeez Sait or the use of Urdu language. We are against the use of Urdu on a board installed by the MCC. Urdu is not an official language of the MCC. Then, how could Urdu be used on a MCC property?”

Gowda said, “We have already submitted online petitions, in this regard, to the MCC Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru, who is the MCC administrator, in the absence of an elected council. In a couple of days, we will present a petition to the officials concerned, in person.”

The police have also received a complaint from those who confronted the Kannada activists. However, an FIR has not yet been registered.