Amidst the news of Saharanput riots, another news of clashes in Belgaum came in from Karnataka border town. It all began with a board of Maharashtra Rajya put up. With the latest orders of the High Court, the boards were removed but they were put up again. The police began to pull out these boards again for which the villagers began protesting.
Reports claim that the police then took severe action on the protesting people. They began to baton the people there. Women and Children too were not spared.
The police’ action there has now dragged political criticism. Political Parties of Maharashtra have condemned this act of beating up the local people of Belgaum. The Shiv Sena party has called it a terror act and it has now sought the interference of central government into it.
The actions of Karnataka Police have been termed as Brutal by the MES (Maharashtra EkikaranSamiti), the organization which is fighting for the Marathi people in region for a long time.
The Times of India quoted MNS chief Raj Thackeray who said, “They would often say in the past that they could not do much as they did not have majority in the Loksabha. Today, the Sena-BJP has a brute majority in the LokSabha. They are in office at the Cenre. Let me see if the two parties do something concrete to provide relief to Marathis who have been suffering indignities all these years in Karnataka.”
BJP leader VinodTawde too criticized the action. Times of India quoted him saying, “My Party will write to the National Human Rights Commission on the issue.”
Maharashtra’s Chief Minister PrithvirajChavan too condemned the incident and assured that he would speak to the Karnataka Chief Minister.
These protests affected the transportation there. Vehicles and State-run transport buses did not run as a result of these clashes.
Tags: Belgaum Belgaum clash Belgaum violence
