Bengaluru: Actor and Jnanpith awardee, Girish Karnad received death threat for suggesting Bengaluru international airport should be named after Tipu Sultan.
“Girish Karnad will meet the same end like kalburgi if he enrages kannadigas by replacing in Kempe gouda (sic) with Tipu Sultan.” the tweet, later deleted by the user, read.
“A tweet was posted by someone with the user name Intolerant Chandra…. We are aware of the tweet and action will be taken if necessary and if a complaint is lodged,” the TOI quoted a police officer.
Karnad had given a written complaint on the issue.
Girish Karnad on Wednesday apologised for saying the Bangalore international airport should have been named after Tipu Sultan and not Kempegowda, believed to have founded the city.
Karnad said he had never meant to insult the Vokkaliga icon when he suggested the airport should have been christened after Tipu, the 18th century king of Mysore who died fighting the British. “I have great respect for Kempegowda and I never insulted him. I apologise if my words caused any hurt to anyone.”
Chief minister P.C. Siddaramaiah, who had presided over the Tipu Jayanti programme where Karnad made the controversial suggestion, distanced himself from the remark. “He shouldn’t have made that remark. It is his personal view and there is no question of the government even thinking of changing the airport’s name,” the Congress leader said.
Karnad had justified his view saying Kempegowda was not a freedom fighter like Tipu, angering the Vokkaligas and sparking demonstrations. The community wields immense political clout and accounts for 15 per cent of the state’s six-crore population.
The Vokkaligas have termed Karnad’s remarks an “insult” to Kempegowda. Former deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader R. Ashok, a Vokkaliga, demanded an apology from the actor for making the suggestion at the first state-sponsored Tipu event.
(Agencies)
