Lowering of saffron flag triggers tension in village in Mandya district

Tensions erupted in Keragodu village in Karnataka's Mandya on Sunday, 28 January, after district administration officials took down a dhwaja (flag) with Lord Hanuman's portrait, which had been hoisted on a recently installed 108-foot pole.

The incident led to protests by locals and members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who accused the Congress government in the state of being "anti-Hindu." The agitation led by the BJP spread to Bengaluru on Monday, 29 January, with the police detaining several protesters at Mysuru Bank Circle.

The BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) also took out a 'padayatra' on Monday from the Keragodu village to the Mandya District Collector's office in protest against the removal of the Hanuman flag.