Bengaluru News : After the event, Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan said, “I am happy that the national flag was hoisted at the Idgah Maidan.”
In a first, the national flag was hoisted amid tight security on Monday morning at Idgah Maidan in Chamarajpet. The Idgah Maidan has been embroiled in a controversy on account of competing claims for its ownership between the Wakf Board and the civic authorities.
The Tricolour was hoisted at the Idgah Maidan by assistant commissioner of Bengaluru (Urban) MG Shivanna. Chamarajpet MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan, member of Lok Sabha from Bengaluru Central constituency PC Mohan, additional commissioner of police (Bengaluru west) Sandeep Patil and deputy commissioner of police (Bengaluru west) Laxman Nimbargi were also present in the event.
Additional commissioner of police Patil said that ahead of the event, over 1,000 members of a special police force contingent from the Rapid Action Force, City Armed Reserve and Karnataka State Reserve Police were deployed at the grounds.
After the event, Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan said, “I am happy that the national flag was hoisted at the Idgah Maidan.”
“Two months back, when the ground was under the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf, I had announced that I will celebrate and hoist the national flag at the Idgah Maidan for Independence Day and Republic Day. I also announced earlier Karnataka flag will also be hoisted for Kannada Rajyotsava on November 1,” he said.
Revenue minister R Ashok also said that the Indian flag will be hoisted at Idagh Maidan on Independence day and Republic Day. Instead of Idagh Maidan, the minister called it Guddadahalli playground. “We have passed the order that flag hoisting should take place every year. For those asking why the flag hoisting is happening now, I want to say that I am the revenue minister now and the ground has come under our department now. So, we have decided to hoist the flag there,” he said.
Earlier, on August 3, civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had declared the ground to be a property of the state revenue department and said that any decision on its usage will be decided by the department. Previous to this, the ground was used for exclusively for Muslim religious events. “The land, which is referred to by different names by people, actually belongs to the revenue department. The revenue records show that it does not belong to the BBMP or any ‘Board,” Ashoka had said earlier.
Amid the controversy, the BBMP had referred the matter to the revenue department. The department went through its records and found that the land belongs to it, Ashoka had said. “This survey number 40 in Guddadahalli. This is revenue department property.”
The flag hoisting was followed by the singing of the national anthem and the state anthem. Students of Chamarajpet government school performed several cultural activities, including singing patriotic songs, displaying a short play on Onake Obavva, a warrior who fought the troops of Hyder Ali at Chitradurga, and dancing to Vande Mataram.
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