BJP stages protests ahead of Tipu Jayanti; security tightened in Karnataka
Bengaluru, Nov 9: A day ahead of 'Tipu Jayanti', the BJP Friday staged protests against Karnataka government-sponsored celebrations for the birth anniversary of the controversial 18th century ruler of erstwhile Mysore kingdom, Tipu Sultan.
The party, which has appealed to the government to drop the celebrations, staged demonstrations at several places including Bengaluru, Mysuru and Kodagu, in the state.
The JDS-Congress coalition government led by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, last week, had said Tipu Jayanti would be celebrated on November 10 in continuation of the previous Congress government's policy, prompting the BJP to announce protests.
However, Kumaraswamy is not scheduled to attend main function here to be inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara.
The Chief Minister's Office in a statement said Friday that Kumaraswamy would not take part in any official function for the next three days in view of "doctors' advice."
On the advice of doctors, the chief minister will take three days rest till November 11. He will spend time with family on these days and there will be no official engagements on these days, it said.
Minister for Minority Welfare, Haj and Wakf B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan said the chief minister had told officials before hand that he would be away for medical check-up and hence, his name should not be mentioned in the invitation.
Police said security has been tightened at sensitive places, including Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Kodagu.
An official said the function in Bengaluru would be held at the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the state legislature, as the original venue, in view of representations to the government from Muslim community leaders.
Parameshwara, who also holds the Home portfolio, had on November 5 announced that the venue had been shifted to Ravindra Kalakshetra here on advice of the police department owing to security reasons.
He had said strict action would be taken against anyone causing riots or disturbing peace.
Tipu Jayanti celebration events should be organised indoors and posters and banners would be allowed there only, he had said, adding that social media posts would also be monitored and action would be taken if they were derogatory.
The previous Congress government, led by Siddaramaiah, began celebrating "Tipu Jayanti" on November 10 every year since 2015, amid stiff opposition by the BJP, several Hindu organisations and some individuals.
Widespread protests and violence had marred the celebrations during the first two years.
BJP leaders, including former deputy chief minister R Ashok, B Y Raghavendra and MLC Ravi Kumar, took part in the agitation here and accused the state government of "hurting" the sentiments of Hindus only to appease Muslims.
They said Tipu was accused of killing thousands of people in Kodagu and Mandyam Iyengars of Melukote near Mysuru.
Tipu was a tyrant and a religious fanatic. Those who tried to exalt him suffered huge losses, BJP MP Pratap Simha claimed.
The BJP also took a dig at Kumaraswamy's absence in the event.
Party spokesperson S Prakash quipped that the chief minister was avoiding taking part in Tipu Jayanti.
Tipu was a ruler of Mysore and considered an implacable enemy of the British East India Company.
He was killed in May 1799 while defending his fort at Srirangapatna against the British forces.
While BJP and some Hindu outfits see Tipu as a "religious bigot" and a "brutal killer", some Kannada outfits call him anti-Kannada, saying that he had promoted Persian at the cost of the local language.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
