Belagavi standoff: Pro-Kannada outfits demand ban on MES amid unrest

Pro-Kannada outfits on Monday (December 20) launched 'Belagavi Chalo' in protest against Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi's (MES) act of insulting sentiments of people of Karnataka by burning the Kannada flag and vandalising Sangolli Rayanna's statue. "Let them arrests us, hit us with lathis; this will not stop us from marching ahead," Karnataka Rakshina Vedike members claimed as they assembled in Hubballi for the protest march towards Hirebagawadi toll, 11 km away from Belagavi's Suvarna Soudha.

Also read: Maharashtra-Karnataka border tense after vandalism in Belagavi

Praveen Kumar Shetty, President of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Shetty faction), slammed the state government's sympathetic approach towards the MES and miscreants acting against Kannadigas. Before making his way towards Suvarna Soudha, Praveen Shetty spoke to Karnataka Minister Halappa Achar, requesting the latter to ban MES. "Kindly ban MES; we Kannadigas voted you to power. In Maharashtra, they (Sena and MES) are attacking Kannadigas, damaged buses and burnt them, have attacked our police; what should we do?. You are in power; please support Kannada cause as you be not in power permanently. Take action like S Bangarapps (former CM); you should ban MES," Shetty added.

Meanwhile, President of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (TA Narayana Gowda faction), Narayana Gowda, warned MLA's and MP's of a boycott during elections if the state government failed to raise the issue in the assembly and ban the MES with immediate effect. 

Meanwhile, security across Belagavi has been tightened in the wake of pro-Kannada outfits laying siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, despite prohibitory orders. Belagavi Police Commissioner K. Tyagarajan said that the police would not allow activists into the city as prohibitory orders are clamped. As many as 3,000 police personnel have been deputed to maintain the law and order situation.

The Karnataka police have extended Section 144 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in Belagavi from December 20 to 22 following the ongoing protests after the desecration of the statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sangolli Rayanna in different parts of the state.

Also read: Karnataka: Section 144 in Belagavi extended till Dec 22 amid violence over statue vandalism

Yesterday, a group of Shiv Sena leaders also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking sedition charges to be invoked against those responsible for the alleged desecration of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Bengaluru. The Sena delegation pointed out that it was ironic that while Amit Shah was in Pune to lay the foundation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue, a condemnable act has happened in the neighbouring state of Karnataka.