Belagavi: In spite of not having permission and implementation of Section 144 of the CrPC in the city, members of Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti (MES) and Nationalist Congress Party staged a protest at Kognoli Toll Plaza near the Karnataka-Maharashtra border over the inter-state border issue.
Meanwhile, MahaVikas Aghadi leaders who were marching to participate in the Mahamelava were reportedly stopped by the Karnataka police.
The Karnataka Police had refused permission to the MES to hold Mahamelav on Monday against commencement of winter session at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha by the state government.
MES is a political outfit that organises meet every time on first day of winter session. Amid the heightened tensions, the authorities took a stern action and refused permission.
ADGP (Law and Order) Alok Kumar on Monday stated that there is no scope to hold meetings and programmes as curfew is clamped in the Tilakwadi area of Belagavi. "If someone tries to arrange a meeting, they will be taken into custody," he warned.
Belagavi Police Commissioner Dr MB Boralingaiah had released curfew orders in the half kilometre stretch of the Vaccine Depot area of Tilakwadi to maintain law and order situation.
The police have also vacated the stage erected by the MES at the Vaccine Depot area. About 5,000 police personnel, 6 SPs, 11 ASPs, 40 DySPs, 106 CPIs, 16 platoons of City Armed Reserve (CAR), 35 platoons of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and 10 Quick Response Teams (QRT) have been deployed in Belagavi.
The police department has also got 50 CCTV cameras installed at sensitive points in the city. MES workers had started an online campaign on social media, giving calls to Marathi people to attend the Maha Melav. They had also started the 'Vaccine Depot Chalo' campaign.
However, the police department has refused permission and district administration has banned the entry of Maharashtra MP Dhairyashil Mane, who is also the President of Maharashtra Gadi Samithi. The security has been tightened at border check posts to prevent the entry of any politician from Maharashtra.
