Tipu Sultan jayanti row: Security arrangements tightened in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Elaborate security arrangements were put in place in Karnataka's Madikeri area to avoid any law and order situation during the birth anniversary celebrations of Tipu Sultan on Thursday.

Besides policemen, paramilitary personnel have been deployed on the streets of Karnataka.

The Congress government's decision to observe the birth anniversary of the 18th century ruler of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom has stirred a major controversy, with opinion sharply divided among intellectuals, academia and different communities and organisations.

The ruling Congress began celebrating Tipu's birth anniversary since last year, which led to violent protests by the right-wing organisations in the Mysore region.

Opposition BJP and pro-Hindu organisations like RSS have threatened to stage protests against the event, as Tipu was a "religious bigot and violent sultan".

Interestingly, the Karnataka High Court last week had questioned the S Siddaramaiah government's logic behind celebrating the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan, observing he wasn't a freedom fighter but a monarch who fought to safeguard his interests.

Known as the 'Tiger of Mysore', Tipu Sultan ruled the Mysore kingdom from 1782-1799 succeeding his father Hyder Ali.

Though Tipu was born in 1750 at Devanahalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru, his kingdom's capital was at Srirangapatna near Mysore.