Organisers have alleged that there were attempts to thwart a programme to confer the Veer Savarkar Samman scheduled to be held at the KSOU auditorium on Saturday but the Governor’s intervention ensured its smooth conduct.
The Savarkar Foundation, Mysuru, had organised the event which entailed felicitation and conferring the Savarkar Award on author and historian Vikram Sampath, who recently wrote a two-volume biography on V.D. Savarkar.
Mysuru MP Pratap Simha told mediapersons that there was pressure on the organisers since morning to shift the venue from the KSOU though the Savarkar Foundation had paid the rent and booked the auditorium in advance.
He blamed the Congress for trying to suppress the event and any discussion on Savarkar and said that the BJP would fight back such attempts.
“I spoke to the Vice-Chancellor of KSOU and questioned him the basis on which the permission was being revoked and he got back to me after sometime stating that the programme can be held as scheduled,” said Mr. Simha.
Police posse
He also questioned the need for strong posse of police at the venue,saying it was an attempt by the Congress to “misuse police and create an environment of hostility and fear”.
Efforts were made to contact KSOU Vice-Chancellor Sharanappa V. Halse for his version but his phone was either continuously engaged or switched off.
Yashaswini of the foundation told presspersons that not only was there a police cordon at the venue of the function but also the varsity authorities refused to open the gate in the afternoon.
“Since morning I was being pressurised to shift the programme to any other venue, but we decided that in case the permission was revoked the programme would be held on the road itself,” she said.
Participants of a painting contest who were sitting outside the campus were allowed entry after the drama and the programme was held as per schedule.
Chakravathi Sulibele, Hindutva ideologue, who later delivered a talk on Savarkar, lashed out at the Congress, saying the “party had barely assumed power a week ago and was already betraying the mindset of a fascist regime by trying to suppress views contrarian to its ideology”. If it was not for the intervention of the Governor, the programme would have to be shifted to a different venue, he added.
Writer and Saraswathi Samman winner S.L. Bhyrappa was also present.
