Belagavi: Tension prevailed in parts of Belagavi when a minor boy was allegedly assaulted for waving the traditional yellow and red Kannada flag during a college festival.
It started when a Class 12 student allegedly waved the traditional Kannada or Karnataka flag, which Marathi students got angry at and assaulted the flag-waving student – a video of which has gone viral in the past two days.
Teachers and other staff members of the host college at Tilakwadi in Belagavi intervened to stop the fight, police said.
After the video of the incident that took place in Gogte College of Commerce here went viral, pro-Kannada outfits launched a protest Thursday demanding action against those who allegedly beat up the student. The activists also blocked roads.
Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV) alleged the student was beaten up because he was waving the Karnataka flag. The pro-Kannada group also alleged that when the student approached the police station to register a complaint, the police also allegedly ‘thrashed’ him.
Deepak Gudaga, a member of KRV, said, “The boy was beaten up by students of other linguistic groups just for waving the Kannada flag. Moreover, many colleges in Belagavi are dominated by Marathi-speaking people. There have been similar incidents reported in the past where Kannada culture and Kannadigas were insulted.”
He further added, “It is very unbecoming of senior police officers to thrash a young boy who came to the police station to register a complaint. We will continue to protest until the perpetrators are punished.”
The police denied the charges of the KRV and said there is no clarity why the student was attacked.
“It appears that it was an issue involving students trampling over each other's foot while grooving to the music, which might have also caused the confrontation. We will get clarity once we complete an investigation,” a police official was quoted in the media.
