Section 144 has been imposed in Belagavi as the border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra reached its flashpoint after a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in Bengaluru was smeared with ink on Wednesday.
Demanding the arrest of those involved in the smearing of Shivaji’s statue with ink, Pro-Maharashtra activists staged a protest at Belagavi’s Sambhaji Circle on Thursday, where the protest turned violent and nearly 26 government vehicles were damaged in stone-pelting.
Adding to the tension, freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna’s statue in Belagavi district was also damaged in the area on Thursday night.
Belagavi Police Commissioner Dr K. Thyagarajan said, “27 persons have been arrested in connection with the disturbance of the statue of Rayanna in three different police stations in Belagavi. About 26 vehicles belonging to the government and the district police department have been destroyed.”
In wake of the tensions, the Karnataka government has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 in Belagavi from Saturday 8 am to next morning 6 am. Security has been tightened in the sensitive areas and additional force has been deployed.
Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said, “I have given instructions to police to take strict action against those who damaged Sangolli Rayanna’s statue in Belagavi and smeared ink on Shivaji’s statue in Bengaluru. I appeal to the people, for the sake of politics, don’t insult legends like Shivaji Maharaj and Sangolli Rayanna.”
Staging a protest outside the Karnataka Assembly on December 13, Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti demanded that Belagavi be integrated with Maharashtra. The winter session of State Assembly is being held at Belagavi.
The MES have been demanding that Karnataka’s Belagavi should be merged with Maharashtra as a large number of Marathi-speaking people live in the region.
