21 January,2009 08:57 AM IST | | Savie Karnel
Park without a name: If activists have their way, this park in Kengeri will remain nameless Pic/Satish Badiger
A youth group wants to honour commando Sandeep Unnikrishnan but parochial activists come in the way saying he wasn't a Kannadiga
A park in Kengeri may be named after martyred Majoru00a0 Sandeep Unnikrishnan, but some BJP workers are opposing the idea.
Unnikrishnan died fighting terrorists at the Taj on November 26.
The park, between 3rd Main and 4th Main of Kengeri satellite town, has no name. Lokanayak Jayaprakash Narayan Vichara Vedike, a youth group, wanted it named after the martyred NSG commando, but some activists reportedly said he wasn't a Kannadiga and so didn't deserve the honour.
"We sent a letter to the BBMP commissioner, and he approved the proposal to commemorate the slain soldier. He was happy we had taken this step," said Kiran Kumar H C, president of the Vedike.
On Saturday, the BBMP sent a revenue inspector to seek public opinion. Shivakumar, advisor to the association, says some BJP workers claiming to be supporters of panchayat raj minister Shobha Karandlaje snatched the papers from the revenue inspector's hand.
He suspects they manipulated the signatures. "This same party had made banners of Unnikrishnan. Now they say he is a Malayali. It is a pity that a soldier who died saving people should be treated like this," he said. Unnikrishnan's family has been living in Bangalore for 28 years.
Shobha Karandlaje supported the idea of naming the park after Unnikrishnan. "A soldier is first an Indian and has no caste or creed. We cannot discriminate."
She said she didn't know anything about the naming of the park. "But I have no objection. I don't know who is objecting in my name," she said.
Playing safe
Revenue inspector Pramashivaiyya said, "We have received 70 signatures saying they had no objections and 56 saying that they had objections." He wouldn't comment on papers being snatched from his hand.
BBMP commissioner S Subramanya said he would have to look into the row. "We will have to see how genuine the objections are. Only then can a decision be taken," he said.
