Sec 144 Imposed In Karnataka’s Belagavi; Maharashtra Ministers Cancel Visit Amid Rising Tension In Border Areas

Amidst rising tensions over the border dispute and the proposed visit of Maharashtra Minsiters to the region, district adminsitration of Belagavi imposed section 144 on 6 December.

By order, Belagavi DC Nitesh Patil responding to the appeal by various pro-Kannada organisations as well as police reports on the possibility of inciting violence and causing disturbance to public order and harmony , prohibited the entry of the Maharashtra Ministers Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai and chairman of Maharashtra High Power Committee for Karnataka-Maharashtra Boundary Dispute and Member of Parliament Dhairyasheel Mane into the limits of Belagavi district.

This comes amidst rising tension in the border district with Kannada activists taking to the streets to protest against the visit of the Ministers in response to the invite by the Madhyavarthi Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti.

Following this, the Maharashtra Ministers are said to have cancelled their visit. As per reports, Desai said they had cancelled their visit to avoid any law and order situation on the death anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar. “It would have been better if the Karnataka government had allowed us to pay tribute to Dr Ambedkar in Belagavi," he said, as quoted.

The district though continues to stay on high alert with heavy police deployment on all entry points bordering Maharashtra and around 21 checkposts setup to restrict any such movement.

Meanwhile, 11 gram panchayats of Akkalkot taluk, currently in Maharashtra, have sought to be included in Karnataka as per the Mahajan commission report provisions.

In an appeal submitted to the district collectorate, as reported, the villages of Shegaon, Korsegaon, Kandewadi Khurd, Devikavte, Shaval, Shegaon Budruk, Hilli, Alage, Mangarul and Dharsang wrote seeking permission to be part of Karnataka, ‘if basic facilities cannot be provided’.