Tipu Sultan Row: Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha Targets Girish Karnad

Jnanapith laureate playwright Girish Karnad. (File photo) The Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha will lodge a complaint against Jnanapith laureate playwright Girish Karnad on Monday for his remarks on controversial ruler . “Our will lodge a police complaint against him in every district headquarters of Karnataka for fomenting communal tension. His remarks on Tipu were unwarranted,” said Mahasabha spokesperson Dharmendra in Mangaluru. Last week, on the occasion of the birth anniversary celebrations of Tipu Sultan, Girish had suggested that the government could have named the Bengaluru International Airport after the erstwhile ruler of Mysuru. “These so-called intellectuals are questioning about intolerance unnecessarily. Why didn’t they raise their voice when the majority communities faced oppression? Their acts of returning awards need to be criticised,” he added. The Karnataka government has assigned a special gunman 24/7 for the protection of noted playwright and Jnanpith laureate Girish Karnad following a threat to his life from miscreants in the wake of his comments on Tipu Sultan . Though the government has deployed heavy police security to his home, it decided to assign a gunman also. The gunman would accompany Girish Karnad in public places. Though the writer did not ask for any protection, the government decided on its own to offer police escort.