Sec 144 extended extended in Belagavi till Dec 22 over vandalism of statues

Belagavi: In the wake of protests after the desecration of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sangolli Rayanna’s statues on Saturday night, police have extended the prohibitory orders placed under Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in Belagavi till 6 am on December 22.

Earlier, police had imposed prohibitory orders in the city till December 20 as a precautionary measure.

Tension prevailed in Belagavi bordering Maharashtra on Saturday after alleged activists of Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti (MES) vandalised the statue of Rayanna, a 19th century icon who fought against the British, at Angol on South Belagavi, following news that a statue of Shivaji has been desecrated in Bengaluru.

Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) followers smashed around 26 vehicles of the Karnataka government and police at Belagavi.

They also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here and sought sedition charges be invoked against those responsible for the alleged desecration of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Bengaluru.