Members of Uddhav’s Shiv Sena detained at K’taka-Maha border

Shiv Sena (UBT) workers raised slogans against the Maharashtra and central governments for not taking action to merge Belagavi and 840 villages into Maharashtra

At least 50 workers of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) were stopped in Kolhapur district while they were attempting to enter Karnataka from the Nippani border to participate in a “Black Day” programme organised by a pro-Maharashtrian organisation in Belagavi district on Wednesday, officials said.

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“The Nippani police blocked the workers who were en route to Belagavi, just outside the Koganolli check post in Karnataka, and handed them over to the Kolhapur police,” Belagavi superintendent of police Bhimashankar Guled.

Despite being barred from entering the district, the Shiv Sena workers, led by Kolhapur district president Vijay Devane, parked their vehicles approximately a kilometre away from the Karnataka border in Maharashtra, along the Pune-Bengaluru national highway. They proceeded on foot towards Karnataka but were blocked and handed over to Kolhapur Police by the Nippani police.

The heavy police presence at the Koganolli check post on the state border in Nippani taluk was in response to information provided by the state intelligence department. “The group was informed of the entry ban but insisted on crossing into Karnataka. So we detained them and handed them over to Maharashtra police,” explained Nippani Circle Police Inspector Balappa Talawar.

Shiv Sena (UBT) workers raised slogans against the Maharashtra and central governments for not taking action to merge Belagavi and 840 villages into Maharashtra. Amid sloganeering and an attempt to halt traffic on National Highway (NH) 48.

Vijay Devane spoke to the mediapersons, expressing concerns about the injustices he believes Marathas in Karnataka are facing. He cited issues such as the compulsory study of Kannada up to Std 10, a lack of official documents in Marathi, the use of exclusively Kannada display boards, and the Karnataka government’s failure to adhere to the guidelines of the Linguistic Minority Commission, which state that other languages must be used officially when the linguistic population exceeds 14% in the state.

Devane also criticised both the Maharashtra and Union governments for not taking action against the injustices faced by Marathas in Karnataka. “Our state government was also not serious about the suit it filed with Supreme Court regarding the border dispute with Karnataka,” Devane added.

Responding to the Karnataka government’s denial of permission, Belagavi Taluk MES president and former legislator Manohar Kinekar told HT that it was yet another example of how Karnataka is encroaching upon the rights of linguistic minorities, especially Marathis in Belagavi. “We express our displeasure by observing Rajyotsava day as a black day, even though no representatives from Maharashtra were in attendance,” Kinekar, who represented Belagavi Rural (then Uchagoan) constituency, said.

Belagavi police commissioner SN Siddaramappa and Belagavi superintendent of police Bhimashankar Guled, in their separate statements, defended the ban on the entry of Maharashtra leaders to the district, primarily in Belagavi, as their speeches can potentially provoke disturbances in both states. “No one from Maharashtra will be permitted to participate in black day programs in Belagavi or any other part of the district,” said Siddaramappa.

Kannada organisations welcomed the government’s stance in imposing a ban on Maharashtra leaders and issued warnings of strict actions against any outsiders attending the anti-state program. Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Narayan Gowda faction) Belagavi district president Deepak Gudadanatti said that the organisation would not spare outsiders found participating in the black day events.

The Belagavi deputy commissioner stated that all those participating in the black day program with black attire and flags would be dealt with according to the law. The district administration has not granted permission for pro-Maharashtrians to observe the black day in the district.