Karnataka Police on Friday removed a cutout depicting Mughal commander Afzal Khan being slain by Chhatrapati Shivaji during Ganesha festival celebrations in Davanagere city. Authorities said the move was necessary to prevent communal tension in the sensitive Mattikallu area, which witnessed stone-pelting and violence during last year’s festivities.
The cutout drew objections from members of one community on Thursday night, sparking heated arguments. Police from the RMC Yard station rushed to the spot and ordered organisers to remove it by 10:30 a.m. on Friday or face legal action.
Hindu activists opposed the directive, arguing that if the Afzal Khan display was removed, then posters of Mysuru rulers Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali should also be taken down across the district. However, organisers later replaced the cutout with a poster of Shivaji alone, and also installed a cutout of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The peaceful resolution was welcomed by officials.
The depiction of Shivaji’s killing of Afzal Khan in 1659 near Pratapgad Fort is celebrated in Maharashtrian folklore. But historians warn that such episodes are increasingly being used by modern political groups to deepen communal divides.
The controversy comes as the BJP accuses the Congress-led Karnataka government of interfering with Hindu festivals. Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje said the state was “curbing celebrations,” recalling how idols were seized in earlier years. Expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal also warned officials against restricting festivities in his constituency.
