Chikmagalur Tipu Cutout Row: 23-Year-Old Arrested Over 'Mujahid' Song Video, 24 Associates Questioned; Security Tightened

Bengaluru: Chickmagaluru police have arrested 23-year-old Aafrid, who had posted  a video of a 40-feet tall Tipu cutout, playing Mujahid music in the background.

Afraid, who works in a car showroom of Chikmagalur town was handling an Instagram Account titled `Chickmagaluru Power Tipu Boys' and has posted the video on his instagram.

The Chickmagaluru police have also interrogated at least 24 associates of Aafrid to ascertain if they had any role in creating the video.

Chikmagalur Superintendent of Police  Jitendra Kumar Dayama said that Aafrid has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody, while his associates were let go after confirming that the entire group had no role in the controversial video.

Fior the last five to ten years, the youths in Chikmagalur used to get police permission to celebrate Eid-Milad festival and take out a procession. The police had given permission to celebrate the festival as previous years and not permitted any new cutouts. However, a 40-feet tall Tipu cutout was erected and Aafridi had uploaded the video of the cutout, with Mujahid song and songs mentioning Pakistan.

He had also shared the video through WhatsApp and had sent the content through direct messages for many of his contacts, Jitendra Kumar Dayama added.

Meanwhile, the situation in Chikmagalur town has become tense with the local BJP unit raising objections for Mujahid song. Former Chikmagalur MLA C T Ravi said that after the Congress government came to power in the State, such `anti-National' elements were gaining voices. He said that the police machinery had failed to initiate any action against such organised behavior.

Jitendra Kumar  Dayama said that security had been beefed up in the town after the incident to ensure that no untoward incidents take place during the Eid procession. ``More than 300 home guards, four battalions of  KSRP and the local police had been deployed to maintain law and order in the town during the procession,'' he added.