Belagavi: The standoff between Karnataka and Maharashtra over the boundary took a violent turn on Tuesday as a large number of Kannada activists indulged in throwing stones at Maharashtra-registered vehicles and damaging them.
The police have arrested several Kannada activists and supporters of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES). While the activists of Karnataka Rakshna Vedike, headed by its state president Narayanagowda, tried to enter Belagavi via the Hirebagewadi toll plaza on Tuesday morning and were arrested, the MES supports were taken into custody when they went to submit a memorandum to the district authorities.
The activists indulged in a battle of words with the police at Hirebagewadi and many of them were hurt while trying to escape from the clutches of the police who were trying to stop them.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Nitesh Patil officially banned entry of Maharashtra Higher and Technological Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, Maharashtra Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai and MP Dhairyasheel Mane to the district on Tuesday.
The police sealed all the roads from Maharashtra and allowed vehicles only after a thorough check of the credentials of the passengers. Strict vigil was maintained on all the entry points.
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