Bengaluru: A flag was found atop the canopy over a statue of Sri Adi Shankaracharya in the temple town of Sringeri in Chikkamagaluru district on Thursday, police said.
While the police said it was a flag which did not belong to any political party or religion, local BJP leaders alleged it was that of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).
"There is a Shankaracharya statue and above it is the gopuram (canopy). The flag was found there. It is neither a party flag nor Islamic flag. It is some blue red and green flag," a police officer said.
The statue is located at the Shankaracharya Circle (road junction) in the town.
He added that some miscreant had thrown it on the gopuram, which got stuck there. "There is no damage to the statue. Morning when we got to know we removed it. An FIR has been registered," he added.
The local BJP leaders lodged a complaint about the mischief. BJP MLA and former minister S A Ramadass too condemned the act.
"It has come to the knowledge that SDPI's flag was put on Shankaracharya's statue. I have asked the officials concerned to arrest the culprit. Our government will not tolerate such anti-social elements," he tweeted, posting a picture of the flag atop the canopy.
Sringeri is one of the four seats of spiritual learning set up by the Adi Shankaracharya about 1,300 years ago. Swami Sri Bharati Teertha is the present Shankaracharya of the Sringeri mutt.
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New Delhi, Mar 29: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Friday decided at its Special General Meeting (SGM) that it will start functioning at 'no cost to the government' model if its request to lift the suspension is not considered by the Sports Ministry.
The WFI had its SGM in Noida after the UWW (the sport's world governing body) lifted its suspension and the IOA also dissolved the ad-hoc panel that was managing the affairs of the body.
The two developments paved the way for the elected office bearers to take back control of the federation, though the government is yet to lift its suspension.
The government had contended that the WFI flouted rules and put it under suspension, three days after it conducted polls to elect Sanjay Singh as president.
All 25 state associations attended the SGM even as secretary general Prem Chand Lochab, who is from the rival camp, skipped the meet.
"It was agreed that we will request the government to lift the suspension. The UWW has lifted the suspension and ad-hoc committee has also been dissolved, so there is no point of continuing with the suspension of the body," a WFI source told PTI.
"If the ministry will not consider the request and decide against providing financial assistance, then we have decided unanimously that we will start functioning at no cost to the government," added the source.
The government funds wrestlers' training, competition and exposure trips to foreign countries.
If the WFI goes ahead with the plan then it will also have to arrange and conduct the national camps on its own.
TWO-THIRD MAJORITY NOT MUST FOR ELECTION FOR NEW POST
The WFI also brought about an amendment to its Constitution to ensure that any candidate contesting the election for a new post is not required to win by a two-third majority.
"From now onwards only a simple majority will do if a joint secretary or a secretary decides to contest for a different post such as president. Only if a candidate is attempting to get elected to the post he is holding, he will be required to win by a two-third majority," explained the source.
At WFI's recent election Sanjay Singh was required to win the polls for the post of president by a two-third majority because he was a joint secretary in the previous dispensation.
SOC RECOGNITION NOT REQUIRED FOR STATES
The WFI has removed from its Constitution the clause that required a state association to fulfil the condition of having recognition from the State Olympic Committee (SOC) to get affiliated with the national body.
"From now onwards only WFI recognition is enough for a state association. A few state bodies had misused this clause to present them as genuine bodies despite suspension from WFI. They showed SOC recognition to claim that they are genuine affiliated state bodies. We have done away with this," informed the source.
ALL STATES TO FOLLOW NATIONAL SPORTS CODE
All the 25 state bodies were asked to ensure that the Sports Code is followed while conducting the elections and functioning. Age and tenure guidelines will have to be followed by all.