Belagavi boils over

Vandalism of statues by Marathi & Kannada speaking activists roils border town.

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Belagavi: The acrimony between Kannada and Marathi speaking residents of Belagavi district took a violent turn, when a group of Marathi speaking people vandalized the statue of freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna and attacked police vehicles with stones in Belagavi City on Friday night.

The attack took place after a group of Kannada activists smeared black paint on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue which had been installed near Sankey Tank in Bengaluru on Thursday as a mark of protest against the burning of the Karnataka flag by Marathi speaking people. The issue of burning of the Karnataka flag reverberated in the ongoing session of the State Legislature at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi since December 13 as part of winter session, with the members cutting across party lines demanding stern action against mischievous elements.

On Friday, a group of Marathi speaking people pulled down the Sangolli Rayanna statue and also pelted stones at Sambhaji Circle in Belagavi city. They attacked the cops who were deployed at the circle as precaution.