Belagavi region peaceful, says Karnataka police

The Karnataka-Maharashtra border region, which has been witnessing a series of agitations since the first day of legislature session here is now peaceful, police said on Wednesday.

“There’s absolutely peace in the border district of Belagavi. Vehicular movement between the two states is normal and there is nothing to worry,” a senior police official told PTI.

As a precautionary measure, barricades have been put up on the bridge connecting Belagavi in Karnataka with Maharashtra.

Police personnel have also been deployed at the vaccine depot ground in Tilakwadi, where the Madhyavarti Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MMES) was planning to stage a demonstration on December 19.

“The MMES movement has stopped but as a precaution we are deploying forces there,” the official added.

The MMES wanted the leaders from Maharashtra to attend their event aimed at building pressure on Karnataka government to merge Belagavi with Maharashtra.

The district administration denied the leaders permission to enter Belagavi and attend the event as it will lead to law and order problem.

Meanwhile, Karnataka legislators have decided to pass a resolution in both the houses asserting the state’s stand that the border issue is a settled one and there was no need to rake it up.

Maharashtra has been demanding merger of Belagavi and a few other neighbouring regions in Karnataka on the ground that these places have a substantial Marathi speaking population.