E-Paper
Security beefed up in Belagavi ahead of Shiv Sena protest
The district administration has pressed heavy police force to prevent the entry of the Shiva Sena activists not only on the Pune-Bengaluru national highway and the state border at Shinnolli but also near other village roads which link to Belagavi.
The Belagavi police have increased deployment of security personnel in the border district after receiving inputs that Shiv Sena activists from Maharashtra will be allegedly holding a protest ahead of Karnataka Rajyotsava (state formation day) on November 1, a police official in the know of matter said on Sunday.
According to the police, the security has been beefed up in Belagavi after the intelligence agencies received an input that Maharashtra Shiv Sena activists are expected to arrive in border district to observe ‘Black Day’ on Karnataka formation day to register their disappointment for not including Belagavi and other Marathi-speaking places of the state within Maharashtra.
As per the intelligence inputs, two factions, the Uddhav Thackeray-led one and the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena have already sent their cadre across the border, an official said.
“Hundreds of Shiva Sainiks from Kolhapur and other parts of Maharashtra and Nippani taluk in Karnataka will participate in a car-bike rally to Belagavi from the samadhi place of Rajashree Shahu Maharaj in Kolhapur at 10 am on Monday,” the Thackeray-led faction’s Kolhapur district president Vijay Devane said while talking to the reporters in Kolhapur on Sunday.
The district administration has pressed heavy police force to prevent the entry of the Shiv Sena activists not only on the Pune-Bengaluru national highway and the state border at Shinnolli but also near other village roads which link to Belagavi.
“The rally will enter Karnataka from Koganoli checkpoint on Pune-Bengaluru national highway as well from Shinnoli checkpoint in Karnataka near Uchagoan, about 13km from Belagavi town by 3 pm and take part in the next day events. No power can stop us from entering Karnataka, we will show our power on November 1. Allowed or not, we will be there in Belagoan to observe ‘Kaala Din’,” Devane said.
Belagavi’s Shiv Sena president (Thackeray faction) Prakash Shirolkar said, “The Belagavi Shiv Sena is not divided into Shinde and Thackeray groups as far as the border and interest of Marathis in Karnataka is concerned.”
Reacting to the developments, former Belagavi rural MLA Sanjay Patil who is also the BJP district president said: “Karnataka BJP has maintained its distance from Maharashtra BJP which has supported pro-Maharashtrians in its border fight and the black day.”
Meanwhile, the police have given a conditional permission to Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) for its bike rally and public meeting in Belagavi south on October 31 night, prior to Rajyostava.
Belagavi police commissioner Boralingaiah said: “The police department will ensure that the Karnataka Rajyostava programme and processions are smoothly conducted by deploying additional police force... we will not spare the trouble makers who try to spoil the atmosphere of celebration here”.
The district administration has arranged for the Rajyostava celebration at the district stadium where the Kannada flag will be hoisted along with the National flag at 9.30 am and the procession carrying Bhuvaneshwari idol will be taken out in the city, officials in the know of the development said.
The district has planned a grand event for the day with Kittur Rani Chennamma circle being the centre place of the celebration.
According to the police record, about two lakh people had thronged the circle to celebrate the Karnataka formation day in 2020. In 2021, there was no celebration on the account of the demise of Kannada actor Puneet Rajkumar, according to the police.
The Karnataka Rakshna Vedike (Narayangowda faction) has criticised the government for granting conditional permission to pro-Maharashtrian organisation Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti on the night prior to Rajyostava.
The outfit president Deepak Gudaganatti expressed displeasure over the development. He warned of waving black flags at chief minister Basavaraj Bommai if the MES is given permission to observe the ‘Black Day’.
“We will wave black flags...(at the chief minister) and were black clothes if (MES) are given permission to observe Black Day,” said Gudaganatti.
