MES workers stopped in Belagavi, tension flares amid border dispute

Karnataka police stopped Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) workers at Hattargi Toll Plaza in Belagavi, creating a tense atmosphere. The MES delegation was travelling to Kolhapur, and the police action led to protests on the national highway.

MES Workers Stopped in Belagavi

While Union Home Minister Amit Shah was visiting Kolhapur, Karnataka police stopped vehicles of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) workers at Hattargi Toll Plaza in the Belagavi district, creating a tense atmosphere.

The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti has been demanding the merger of the Belagavi district in Karnataka with Maharashtra for decades. The delegation of MES leaders and workers was travelling in various vehicles to Kolhapur when police intercepted them at the Hattargi toll gate.

Opposing the police intervention, the workers staged a protest on the national highway and raised slogans. This action was taken after the Kolhapur District Magistrate issued a notice to the Belgaum district administration for security reasons.

However, when the leaders of the committee demanded to show a written order in this regard, the police allegedly refused to provide it. Due to this incident, a tense situation arose in the Hataragi Toll area for some time. Following the protest, security has been heightened in the Hattaragi toll area.

Decades-Old Border Dispute

This incident unfolded amid the long-standing territorial dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra over Belagavi. This conflict, which originated following the 1956 State Reorganisation Act, with Maharashtra staking claims to Marathi-speaking areas, while Karnataka maintains its position based on the 1966 Mahajan Commission report, which recommended the transfer of 264 villages to Maharashtra, but ruled that Belagavi and 247 other villages should remain with Karnataka. The border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra over Belagavi remains pending before the courts.

Legal Opinion on Belagavi Resolution

Earlier, senior Supreme Court advocate Mohan Kataraki said there were "no legal obstacles" to passing a resolution in the Belagavi Municipal Corporation declaring Belagavi an integral part of Karnataka. Kataraki, who represents the Karnataka government in the Mahadayi river water dispute case, made the remarks while interacting with pro-Kannada activists at the Circuit House in Belagavi.

The meeting was held after the Municipal Corporation Commissioner reportedly cited legal hurdles in passing such a resolution. Several Kannada activists have been fighting for years for a resolution to be passed declaring Belagavi an integral part of Karnataka sought legal advice on the issue.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Kataraki said, "There are no legal obstacles to moving a resolution on behalf of Karnataka in the Belagavi Municipal Corporation. Belagavi is historically and legally an integral part of Karnataka." The remarks came amid continuing discussions among pro-Kannada organisations regarding the passage of a resolution in the Belagavi Municipal Corporation on the status of the city.

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