Three people were arrested in the Kothapet area of Guntur city in Andhra Pradesh for trying to hoist the national flag at a tower named after Mohammad Ali Jinnah in violation of prohibitory orders on Republic Day, police said.
Tension prevailed in the area on Wednesday as some persons claiming to be from the Hindu Vahini outfit tried to march to the Jinnah Tower Centre in the city and hoist the tricolour, even as a large posse of police personnel was posted there to prevent such an act.
For some time now, the BJP and other Hindu organisations have been demanding that the Jinnah Tower, a pre-Independence era monument in Guntur, be renamed. They threatened to demolish the structure if the Jagan Mohan Reddy government did not pay heed to their demands.
Following this, the Guntur civic authorities fenced off the Jinnah Tower and police posted to prevent any untoward incidents that could potentially flare up communal tension.
The Hindu Vahini gave a call for hoisting the tricolour at Jinnah Tower on Republic Day and press for its renaming. “Some youths belonging to the outfit tried to march to the tower to carry out their activities but we foiled it. We have taken three persons into custody,” a senior police official said. He said a case would be registered against the youths for trying to disturb the peace.
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(Published 26 January 2022, 15:10 IST)
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