Daijiworld Media Network - Pune
Pune, Feb 15: Pune City Police have registered a case against Harshwardhan Sapkal, Maharashtra Congress State President, following a complaint by Dhiraj Ghate for allegedly making objectionable remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and comparing him with Tipu Sultan.
According to Ghate, the case has been registered at Parvati Police Station after Sapkal allegedly compared Shivaji Maharaj with Tipu Sultan, which he claimed hurt the sentiments of Hindus.
“He hurt the sentiments of Hindus who believe and consider Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as God. I don't understand by making such a statement, which hurts the sentiments, what point Harshwardhan Sapkal wants to prove? This is why we are here at Parvati Police, who made the complaint against him, and a case has been registered against Harshwardhan Sapkal,” Ghate said.
The controversy erupted earlier on Saturday when Sapkal addressed reporters over the row surrounding a portrait of Tipu Sultan displayed in the office of Malegaon Municipal Corporation Deputy Mayor Shan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed, which had been opposed by the Shiv Sena and other groups.
Speaking in Marathi, Sapkal said that the Mysore ruler had followed the ideals of Shivaji Maharaj.
“The kind of bravery that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj possessed and the concept of ‘Swarajya’ (self-rule) that he introduced... much later, following in that very tradition and taking inspiration from his ideals, Tipu Sultan waged war against the British,” Sapkal stated.
“In that sense, Tipu Sultan was a great warrior who displayed immense bravery and was a true son of India. He never allowed any poisonous or communal ideas to sway him. As a symbol of bravery, we should view Tipu Sultan as equivalent to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” he added.
The case against Sapkal has been registered under Sections 192, 196(1), 196(2), 352 and 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The complaint alleges that his remarks hurt the sentiments of Hindus and followers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and had the potential to disturb communal harmony.