Mumbai, June 11: A memorial of 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan on a traffic junction in Dhule in Maharashtra was demolished by the civic body which claimed it was illegal.

It was allegedly built by Dhule City All India Ittehadul Majlis-e-Muslimeen MLA Faruk Shah Anwar on the intersection of Vadjai Road, some 322 kilometres from here, a police official said on Sunday. Tipu Sultan's Bedchamber Sword Sold for Whopping Rs 140 Crore at Hotly-Contested Auction in London, Sets New World Record for Indian and Islamic Object (See Pics).

"It was demolished on Friday under police bandobast by the civic corporation. The MLA was told to remove it himself. However, after a meeting between the district collector and PWD officials, the memorial was broken," he said. Tension in Kolhapur: Stone Pelting in City Over Use of Tipu Sultan’s Image With Offensive Audio As Social Media ‘Status’; Maharashtra Police Send Proposal To Suspend Internet (Watch Video).

The situation is peaceful in the area and no case of any untoward incident has come forward, the police official added. Several parts of Maharashtra are seeing acrimony among communities and protests over the use of images of Tipu Sultan and Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb as part of offensive and communally sensitive social media messages and status.