Curfew Imposed In Belagavi As Karnataka’s Winter Session Takes Off Amidst Border Row

Karnataka’s winter session took off at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in the state’s second capital Belagavi, amidst tightened security in the city and section 144 imposed at the border areas.

As reported by PTI, nearly 5,000 policemen have been deployed for maintaining law and order in the city.

A sizeable number of policemen have also been deployed at the Vaccine Depot ground where the Madhyavarti Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) is staging a demonstration demanding merger of Belagavi with Maharashtra.

Leaders from Maharashtra who sought to participate in the event were denied permission.

Maharashtra MP Dhairyasheel Mane had requested the Belagavi district administration to make arrangements for his visit to the city. But the district authorities imposed a ban on his entry saying that his possible inflammatory speech may create law and order problems.

As reported by Deccan Herald, ADGP Law and Order, Alok Kumar visited the spot and took stock of the situation and said no permission had been given to MES for its convention. MES activist and Belagavi City Corporation corporator elect Ravi Salunke and Netaji Jadhav were detained near the convention venue.

Members of MES and Nationalist Congress Party who were protesting against the Karnataka government were also stopped by the police at the Kognoli toll plaza near the state border.

Meanwhile, the winter session saw condolences offered for the departed leaders and personalities of the state and was adjourned until tomorrow (20 December).

Furore though was created earlier in the day by the opposition parties staging a protest in response to a portrait of Veer Savarkar being unveiled in the assembly.

Karnataka BJP leaders though took to social media with a letter signed by Congress leader and former PM Indira Gandhi hailing Savarkar.

“You may have ideological differences. But if a portrait of Swatantraveer Savarkar hurts them, ask Siddharamaiah whose picture do they want, Dawood Ibrahim’s is it?” remarked Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi.

“Isn't there a portrait of Savarkar in the central hall of the parliament,” he questioned, adding that the problem is the politics of appeasement, which has led the country to this situation today.

“Ideological differences have been and will be there. But opposing everything because of that isn't right. Also, this Congress that claims it fought for freedom, I am telling them, this is not the same Congress. Today’s is a duplicate Congress” reiterated Joshi in his tweet.