Illegal memorial of Tipu Sultan built by AIMIM MLA bulldozed in Maharashtra’s Dhule

An illegal memorial of Tipu Sultan at the intersection square between 100-feet Road and Vadjai Road in Maharashtra’s Dhule was bulldozed by the local municipal corporation on June 8. The overnight operation to raze the memorial of the 18th-century Mysore ruler was conducted following a complaint by the local Hindu organisations and office-bearers of the Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha. This comes amid tensions in certain parts of the state over an objectionable social media status involving Tipu Sultan and Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb that led to clashes in Kolhapur.

#LIVE | Illegal monument of Tipu Sultan razed by administration in Maharashtra.#Maharashtra #TipuSultan#TipuSultanMonument https://t.co/6CjsNJ9CEq pic.twitter.com/1mn0vokiee

— Republic (@republic)

In a letter written to Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis which was shared with local Superintendent of Police and the Municipal Commissioner of Dhule, advocate Rohit Chandode of BJYM requested the demolition of the illegal memorial. He also alleged that the memorial of the Tipu Sultan was constructed by local All India Majlis e Ittihadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA Dr Farooq Anwar Shah without securing necessary approval from the concerned authorities. The Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha member also accused MLA Dr Farooq Anwar Shah of appeasement politics and playing with sentiments of other communities. 

विनापरवानगी हिंदुद्वेषा पोटी टिपू सुलतानचे स्मारक बनवणाऱ्या AIMIM आ.फारुख शाह यांच्यावर कायदेशीर कारवाई करण्यात यावी,यासाठी @BjymDhule तर्फे महा.आयुक्त तसेच SP यांना निवेदन देण्यात आले.@Dev_Fadnavis @girishdmahajan मा.उपमुख्यमंत्री व पालकमंत्री महोदयांना विनंती यात लक्ष घालावे🙏 pic.twitter.com/J8DkOOynf6

— Adv.Rohit Chandode🗨️ (@RChandode)

The letter further read, “I request the municipal administration to take action to demolish the construction of this illegal monument so that the peace of the city remains intact. The concerned should be directed to take action to register a case against Farooq Shah under the City Defacement Act.”

Bulldozed by BulldozerDeva @Dev_Fadnavis ji🔥🔥

Illegal monument of
B!GOT Tipu Sultan demolished in Dhule, Maharashtra🔥🔥

This wouldn’t have been possible in appeasement politics of MVA Mughalshahi

Dhanyawad Shivshahi ED sarkar 🙏🙏🙏

As #KartoosDevendra ji said,
we won’t… https://t.co/mmWPkm09eG pic.twitter.com/zgka511H9Y

— PallaviCT (@pallavict)

As informed by the local leaders of Dhule, there was a brewing controversy around the now-demolished memorial of Tipu Sultan.

Sanjay Barkund, SP Dhule, Maharashtra confirmed the action to news agency ANI. He said that the monument to Tipu Sultan was built on the main road and there was no permission for it. He further said that the police officials held a meeting after receiving the complaint letter, following which the illegal structure was removed early in the morning. No incidents of violence, protests, or disruptions of the peace were reported during or after the demolition.

#WATCH | A monument of Tipu Sultan was built here on the main road, there was no permission for it. We got information that it is an illegal monument. We had a meeting to remove it after which it was removed. There is peace in the area: Sanjay Barkund, SP Dhule, Maharashtra… pic.twitter.com/WjqHIqagbf

— ANI (@ANI)