KRV activists protest at SBM Circle, detained

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Pro-Kannada group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike on Thursday staged a protest at SBM Circle in Bengaluru, and a number of the demonstrators were later detained by the police. They were protesting against the alleged interference by Maharashtra in the affairs of Belagavi district in Karnataka.

Earlier on Tuesday, more than KRV 400 activists had been detained in Hirebagewadi town in Belagavi district for pelting stones at vehicles with Maharashtra registration numbers. Trouble began when members of the pro-Kannada group tried to travel to Belagavi city to protest against Maharashtra’s claims on the north-western district and “fly a thousand Karnataka flags.”

However, on the orders of Belagavi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Nitesh Patil, they weren’t allowed to proceed beyond the Hirebagewadi toll plaza, which led to the stone pelting. Patil had also forbidden visits by proMarathi activists from the neighbouring stat into Belagavi city for law and order reasons.

The issue was reignited on November 22 when chief minister Basavaraj Bommai “seriously laid claim” to Jath taluk in Sangli district in Maharashtra. He’d said that a team of senior advocates had been preparing a case to take before the Supreme Court.

The news was followed by violence and vandalism in both states, with Maharashtra ministers Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai declaring that they would come down to Belagavi city to speak with Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES), a political party that wants to merge Belagavi district with Maharashtra. Since then the ministers have postponed their visit.