Police resort to lathi-charge in Belagavi as Panchamasali protest turns violent

Police on Tuesday allegedly resorted to lathi-charge as the protests by the Panchamasali Lingayats turned violent.

The protestors breached the barricade laid by the police to lay siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha where the Karnataka Legislative session is in progress.

The agitation was led by Basava Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami who has been demanding the inclusion of Panchamasali community in the 2A category, which will get them 15 per cent reservation in government jobs and admission in government institutions. Presently, the community is in the 3B category getting five per cent reservation.

The angry agitators damaged government vehicles and also the ones belonging to the MLAs and the MLCs.

Seeing the situation going out of hand, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law and Order, R Hitendra, ordered lathi-charge.

As the police beat up all those who came on their way, the agitators ran helter-skelter. Several protestors were injured and were later shifted to the hospital.

The police took many demonstrators under preventive custody.