After miscreants targeted statues of freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna in Belagavi and Shivaji in Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday urged people to respect iconic
figures and avoid rumours.
On Saturday, tensions flared in Belagavi, which borders Maharashtra, after accused Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti (MES) supporters vandalised a statue of Rayanna following news that a Shivaji
statue had been desecrated in Bengaluru.
Rayanna is a 19th-century icon who fought against the British at Angol on South Belagavi.
"I urge everyone to show respect towards patriots. They had given their lives for the country. Kittur Rani Chennamma, Sangolli Rayanna and Shivaji Maharaj statues were erected as a
token of respect. We must respect and maintain their dignity," Mr Bommai stated.
"Whether it was Chatrapati Shivaji, Kittur Rani Chenamma or Veera Sangoli Rayanna, they all fought colonial forces for our country's freedom," he had tweeted earlier.
"Insulting any of our great national leaders in the guise of language politics is a violation of their nationalistic spirit and will not be tolerated. We would not allow suspects to
disrupt law and order in Karnataka under any circumstances," Mr Bommai added.
Meanwhile, the district administration in Belagavi has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC till December 20. So far, 27 individuals have been detained and put in judicial
custody for 14 days for vandalising Sangolli Rayanna's statue.
Backstory
The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, which has been advocating for Belagavi's integration with Maharashtra, conducted a demonstration outside the Assembly on December 13.
Amid already tense state dispute, the conflict grew even further when pro-Kannada activists threw black ink on the face of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) senior leader Deepak Dalvi. The
leader was holding Maha Melava near Vaccine Depot ground at Tilakwadi in Belagavi on December 13.
Later, on Wednesday night the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji was smeared in Bengaluru. To avenge this, several miscreants vandalised the statue of freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna in Belagavi.