When Buddha's portrait was used instead of Mahaveera

In a major faux pas, the district administration, Belagavi City Corporation and Kannada and Culture Department wished the citizens on the occasion of Mahaveera Jayanti putting up flex boards, but used the portrait of Gautama Buddha, instead if Mahaveera.

This raised several eyebrows in the city. Ahead of the Mahaveera Jayanti to be observed on Thursday, hoardings were put up at several places across the city. The members of the public noticed the 'blunder in the flex boards' and informed the matter to some media houses.The photographs of the flex boards soon went viral on social media. When the issue came to the notice of the officials, they quickly removed the flex boards. The portraits were downloaded from the internet, but the selection was erroneous, it is learnt.

The city corporation officials and the government departments earlier tried to escape from the responsibility. However, In-Charge Commissioner of the city corporation M M Swamy told DH that the 'erroneous' flex boards were removed and replaced with the portraits of Mahaveera.

Kannada and Culture Department assistant director Shrishail Karishankari said that the city corporation had asked to remove these flex boards three days, but no one turned for the work. Also, the flex boards were not shown before they were put up at prominent locations of the city, he added.