From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Dec 13: Kannada activists threw black ink at prominent Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) leaders for taking out a Maha Melava Rally demanding merger of border town of Belagavi with Maharashtra, on Monday and the Belagavi police took the Kannada activists into custody even as the State Legislature commenced its session.

The MES leaders, who included MES president Deepak Dalvi and former MES MLA Manohar Kinekar and Shubham Shelke, angry at black ink thrown at them by Kannada activists, have called a Belagavi Bandh on Tuesday.

Kannada activists were opposed to MES leaders trying to participate in a Maha Melava rally seeking merger of Belagavi with Maharashtra.

Police stopped the MES rally and asked the MES leaders to leave the venue in view of the Legislature session.

But the MES leaders refused to leave the venue and picked up an argument with the police instead.

Manohar Kinekar, Deepak Dalvi, Shubham Shelke and other leaders argued with the police that they should be allowed to hold the rally as peaceful protest was their fundamental right.

The police, who were keen to maintain peace in the border town in view of the legislature session, did not relent.

The police informed the MES leaders that they had not been given permission to the rally and, therefore, they had to cancel the event and go home.

Even as the MES leaders were arguing with the police, the Kannada activists who barged into the venue and began shouting slogans against the MES leaders.

The Kannada activists carrying black ink with them, threw the ink on Kinekar, Dalvi and some other leaders. Police have taken some of the Kannada activists into custody and dispersed the crowd.