BENGALURU, MAY 28 :Three members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) were arrested on Tuesday by police for allegedly defacing a signboard on a flyover named after Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar in Yelahanka area of city.

The incident took place on Savarkar’s birth anniversary, sparking controversy.
The NSUI activists protested by blackening Savarkar’s name on signboard, replacing it with a banner that read ‘Bhagat Singh Flyover’, and chanting ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ while displaying images of Bhagat Singh, police said.

“They defaced the board with black paint. A case has been registered under the Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Public Property Act, and three individuals have been arrested. They were identified by the NSUI scarves they were wearing,” a senior police officer stated.
The signboard has since been restored.

R Ashoka, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, condemned incident and criticised the ruling Congress party.

On social media platform X, he wrote, “While Veer Savarkar’s photo adorned @RahulGandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka, @INCKarnataka and its affiliates continue to denigrate Veer Savarkar by defacing the signboard of Veer Savarkar Flyover in Bengaluru.”

Ashoka further criticised the Congress, stating, “The Congress has long abandoned the values of Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar, who admired Veer Savarkar. What about Indira Gandhi, who also hailed Savarkar as a great revolutionary? Has CM @siddaramaiah and DCM @DKShivakumar given up on Indira Gandhi too, just because it does not suit their narrow and bigoted vote bank politics?”
The flyover was named after Savarkar during the BJP’s tenure.(UNI)