Bengaluru: Tensions flared in Karnataka's Chikkamagaluru after a group of motorcyclists waved Palestinian flags, sparking unrest among Pro-Hindu groups as the region prepares for Ganesh idol immersion processions, an official source said on Monday.
The incident, captured on video and widely shared on social media, occurred just days before the Ganesh festivities, adding to the already heightened communal sensitivities in the area.
Though no formal FIR has been filed, the police have detained two minors for questioning and retrieved CCTV footage to identify registration numbers of the motorcycles in question.
Additional Superintendent of Police G. Krishnamurthy confirmed that teams have been formed to trace the suspects and prevent any further incidents.
In the video, three individuals on a scooter, one of them holding a large Palestinian flag, were seen travelling towards Hanumanthappa Circle near Dantaramakki Lake. Another group, also carrying the flag, followed on a second bike.
The flag display, coinciding with the Islamic festival Eid Milad, drew immediate backlash from Bajrang Dal and BJP workers who gathered at the town police station to demand swift action against the offenders.
BJP Yuva Morcha district president Santosh Kotian said, "At such a sensitive time, when Ganesh processions are due in the next two days, these individuals with anti-national sentiments are holding Palestinian flags to stir unrest. They must be arrested immediately.”
This is the second such incident in recent weeks in Karnataka. On 15 August, during an Independence Day event in Kunigal, an attempt to hoist a Palestinian flag was thwarted by local authorities, causing brief tensions.
As the Ganesh festivities approach, authorities are on high alert to ensure communal harmony is maintained amidst the rising unrest.