MES members revive border dispute, detained in Karnataka
Several members of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti in Belagavi were detained on Monday after the group attempted to proceed with a convention that had been prohibited during the ongoing Karnataka Legislative Session
Authorities in Belagavi detained large numbers of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti members on Monday after the group attempted to proceed with a convention that had been prohibited during the ongoing Karnataka Legislative Session. The gathering, planned as a response to the session, revived the organisation’s long running demand to shift Marathi speaking regions of Karnataka into Maharashtra.
Police detained participants across Belagavi, Khanapur and Nippani, moving many of them outside the taluk before releasing them later in the evening. Belagavi Police Commissioner Bhushan Borase said officers intervened as activists tried to reach the site despite the denial of approval. “We detained them to maintain law and order. Some Kannada groups had warned they would disrupt the event if held,” he said, noting that those held were warned not to regroup.
The detention quickly triggered a chain reaction along the interstate border. In Kolhapur, organisations in Maharashtra blocked Karnataka state run buses. In response, activists in Athani stopped a Maharashtra State Transport bus. Bus operations between the two states were suspended for the rest of the day, affecting more than 500 services, according to officials. NWKSRTC divisional controller Rajesh Huddar said services toward Kolhapur were halted after protesters earlier obstructed a bus headed to Belagavi. “The decision was taken keeping passenger safety in mind,” he said.
Barricades were placed roughly 100 meters from the proposed venue at the Vaccine Depot Grounds, and adjoining roads were closed. Several senior MES leaders were detained before leaving their homes. Among those held in Belagavi were former Deputy Mayor Renu Killekar, leaders identified as Yallukkar and Prakash Shirulkar of the Shiv Sena, and MES vice president Muralidhar Patil, totalling around 50 people. Former legislator Digambar Patil, aligned with the organisation, was taken into custody in Khanapur.
Security along the Karnataka Maharashtra border was tightened after reports that supporters from Maharashtra, including members of the Shiv Sena in Kolhapur, intended to join the mobilisation. Protesters in Kolhapur placed “Jai Maharashtra” stickers on Karnataka buses, prompting a retaliatory blockade in Athani.
The dispute over the border, which dates back to Belagavi’s 1956 transfer from the Bombay Presidency to what became Karnataka, surfaces each time the legislature meets in the city, often sharpening linguistic and political tensions between the two states.
