For first time, tricolour hoisted at Bengaluru’s Idgah Maidan

The Idgah Maidan at Chamarajpet has been embroiled in a controversy on account of competing claims for its ownership between the Wakf Board and civic authorities.

Independence Day celebrations at Chamarajapete's Idgah Maidan ground in Bengaluru on Monday. (Express photo by Jithendra M)

For the first time, the Indian flag was hoisted at the controversial Idgah Maidan in Bengaluru by revenue department officials Monday morning amid tight security as part of the celebration of 75 years of Independence.

The Idgah Maidan at Chamarajpet has been embroiled in a controversy on account of competing claims for its ownership between the Wakf Board and civic authorities. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) declared the ground to be a property of the state revenue department on August 3 and said that any decision on its usage will be decided by the revenue department amid threats by right-wing activists to hoist the national flag on the occasion of Independence Day.

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The tricolour was hoisted at the Idgah Maidan around 8 am by assistant commissioner of Bengaluru Urban Dr M G Shivanna, along with 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.

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The flag hoisting was followed by the singing of the national anthem and the state anthem. According to police officials, the flag hoisting event was conducted amidst much “peace and tranquillity” in the region.

Students of Chamarajpet government school performed various 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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As a precautionary measure, 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 ahead of the flag hoisting event.

Earlier, the revenue department had ordered that cultural organisations will not be allowed to hoist the tricolour or conduct cultural activities at the Idgah Maidan in a bid to maintain peace in the region.

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