Trucks bearing Maharashtra numbers were stopped and smeared with black ink, and at least one of these pelted with stones, in Belagavi after a protest by an organisation called Karnataka Rakshana Vedike turned violent. Now Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai has termed the violence at Belgavi as "unfortunate".The stone pelting on the Maharashtra vehicles is condemnable.. that too at a time when we are showing patience. I will personally speak with Karnataka Home minister and state DGPs and demand strict action against those who were involved in the stone pelting,"said Maharashtra Minister Shamburaj Desai.
He was supposed go on Belgavi visit today along with Chandrakant Patil. He also said that a decision has been taken to send a delegation to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime mInister Narendra Modi to discuss on the issue.Belagavi is at its centre as Maharashtra has been claiming that this Marathi-majority area was wrongly given to Kannada-majority Karnataka in the language-based reorganisation of states in the 1960s. Karnataka recently renewed its claim over some villages in Maharashtra, igniting a fresh round of acrimony even as both states have the same party, the BJP, in power. At the protest today, windshield of at least one truck was damaged as scores of protesters carrying the traditional Kannada/Karnataka flag blocked traffic. Police were deployed to calm the situation, but the protesters were seen jostling with cops and laying down on the road.This comes after the Karnataka police Tuesday deployed as many as 1,000 personnel at the Karnataka-Maharashtra border to prevent a delegation of ministers and elected representatives of Maharashtra from entering the district or Belagavi city. The Karnataka government had urged Maharashtra not to send its ministers to Belagavi amidst the border dispute flare up.