Ahmedabad shop's Hitler signboard removed

A signboard with Hitler's name at a garment store in Ahmedabad, which had stirred a controversy, was on Tuesday removed by municipal authorities.

The shop's name had sparked outrage among the Jewish community and led to calls for a change in the label. The store is located in Vastrapur area.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation was flooded with e-mails demanding removal of the Hitler signboard, in which the alphabet 'i' was dotted with the Nazi swastika.

"The store owners had voluntarily agreed to remove the controversial signboard. But when they failed to do so, we removed it," AMC Commissioner Guruprasad Mohapatra said.

"It is a sensitive issue. We had received hundreds of e-mails demanding removal of the board," he said.

Owners of the outlet have decided to take up the issue with the police and court, saying they were not served a notice by the authorities before removing the board.

"The AMC today removed the name from the board without even serving a prior notice to us. Earlier, they had orally agreed to pay us the amount spent on registration of the shop name as well as the cost of putting up the board," said Manish Chandani, a co-owner of the store.

"I am going to file a police complaint in this regard, and if needed shall move court against them," he said.

In September, a group of local Jews had asked the owners to change the shop's name, saying it hurt the sentiments of their community.

Israel Counsel General Orna Sagiv, who visited Gujarat in September, had also taken up the issue with top officials. After Israel's intervention, the owners voluntarily agreed to change the name, but demanded compensation for the amount spent on its registration and publicity.

The name was selected as a tribute to the grandfather of one of the shop owners, who was nicknamed Hitler for being very strict.