'Insult To Real Heroes': BJP Slams Malegaon Deputy Mayor Over Tipu Sultan's Portrait In Office

Last Updated:February 14, 2026, 08:52 IST

A controversy erupted in Malegaon after a Tipu Sultan portrait in Deputy Mayor Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed’s office drew protests from Shiv Sena and sharp criticism from the BJP.

A controversy erupted in Maharashtra’s Malegaon after a portrait of 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan was displayed in the office of Deputy Mayor Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed, drawing criticism from the BJP and protests by Shiv Sena corporators.

The row intensified after BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed the deputy mayor in a social media post, alleging that the display of Tipu Sultan’s image while omitting portraits of national leaders was an insult to India’s icons.

“Deputy Mayor of Malegaon… has put up a photo of Hindu hater Tipu Sultan, but images of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi, Babasaheb Ambedkar are missing… Huge insult to our real heroes," Poonawalla said.

He further said that the Constitution had allowed her to hold public office, adding, “The Constitution gave you the opportunity of becoming Deputy Mayor… its architect was Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. But she has no respect for Sanvidhan."

Targeting opposition parties, he alleged that “AIMIM wants to paint Maharashtra green" and accused political rivals of prioritising vote-bank politics over constitutional values, saying, “This is what happens when you put Votebank first, not Sanvidan first."

PROTESTS BY SHIV SENA CORPORATORS

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena corporators led by group leader Nilesh Aher protested against the portrait and submitted a petition to the municipal commissioner seeking its removal.

The protest triggered a war of words between the corporators and the deputy mayor.

Aher said the party would continue its agitation until the portrait was taken down.

Tipu Sultan remains a polarising historical figure, with some praising his resistance against the British East India Company while others accuse him of religious intolerance and atrocities against Hindus in parts of South India.

DEPUTY MAYOR DEFENDS PORTRAIT

Responding to the controversy, Deputy Mayor Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed defended the display and questioned why the issue was being politicised.

“This photo has been put up. When it comes to repairing the photo, it can be removed so that it doesn’t break. But after that, we will put it up according to our thoughts. I don’t understand why you are making an issue out of a photo," she said.

She added that she had read about legal disputes concerning Tipu Sultan Jayanti celebrations, referring to cases filed in the Bombay High Court where police permissions were not granted.

Defending the historical figure, Ahmed said, “Tipu Sultan is the freedom fighter of India, and everyone agrees with that. Not only India, but Britain also praised him when he fought against the East India Company."

News agency PTI quoted her as saying that the portrait had been gifted by corporators.

“The portrait was gifted to me by my corporators. I don’t have any objection to it. Tipu Sultan was a freedom fighter who battled the British," she said, adding that government affidavits had also acknowledged this in court proceedings related to celebrations in his name.

Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed is a corporator of the Samajwadi Party and was elected deputy mayor of the Malegaon Municipal Corporation after an alliance between the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra (ISLAM) party and the SP formed the Malegaon Secular Front.

In the 84-member House, the alliance secured the majority mark of 43 votes.

Sheikh Nasreen Khalid of the ISLAM party was elected mayor, while Ahmed won the deputy mayor’s post with support from the ISLAM party, SP and Congress.

Candidates of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena secured 18 votes each, while AIMIM and BJP abstained from voting.

News india 'Insult To Real Heroes': BJP Slams Malegaon Deputy Mayor Over Tipu Sultan's Portrait In Office

Read More