Tension along Maharashtra-Karnataka border (WATCH)

Tension prevailed along the Maharashtra-Karnataka border in Belagavi after pro-Kannada organization Karnataka Nava Nirmana Pade members attacked and blackened Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti leader Deepak Dalvi's face. Dalvi and his supporters had gathered in numbers at Tilakwadi for their customary practice of holding a parallel session to counter Karnataka's assembly session in Belagavi.

Agitated by MES's claim over Belagavi, Kannada outfit members barged inside the premises where the parallel session -- 'Maha Melava' -- was being held and disrupted the session. Few members smeared ink on senior leader Dalvi's face and raised slogans against the MES.

Soon, MES supporters gathered and the situation turned volatile. The police intervened and took one of the Kannada outfit members, identified as Sampath, into custody. MES has called for a Belagavi bandh on Tuesday in protest against this attack and the district police has deployed more men across the district and sensitive areas.

The development comes at a time when Karnataka is holding a 10-day session in Belagavi to claim its right on the land. The MES has been holding the parallel session since 2006 in protest against this decision by Karnataka. The MES also claims that the region where a majority of the linguistic population is Marathi belongs to Maharashtra.