Belagavi: Pro-Kannada activists blocked the Karnataka-Goa highway on Thursday following a video which surfaced the day before, displaying a college student being thrashed in the state's Belagavi district for holding a state flag at an inter-college festival.
The incident which surfaced on Wednesday evening is reported to have taken place at the Gogte College of Commerce in the district. The video displays a Karnataka state flag being raised by the student in midst of a dancing crowd, when he is attacked by several students.
Following this, police officials reached the spot and brought the situation under control. "Inter-college fest was going on in the college around 7.30 pm. On this occasion, a student who was dancing with the Kannada flag was attacked. We received information from the assaulted student that three students had attacked him. No case has been registered in this regard yet" DCP Law and Order Ravindra Gadadi said.
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Meanwhile, members of pro-Kannada organisation Kannada Rakshana Vedike, blocking the highway for more than two hours, alleged that the student was attacked specifically because of waving the flag at the event. They also demanded action against the accused.
The escalation arrives ahead of Maharashtra ministers' visit to Belagavi on December 3. The three-member committee of the Maharashtra government are set to visit the city, garland the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and are expected to speak to pro-Marathi activists.
Speaking about the issue, Karnataka CM BS Bommai said on Thursday that Karnataka's state was 'very clear'. "Maharashtra's appeal is not maintainable" he said, adding that the same would be argued by lawyers representing the state.
The dispute dates back to 1960s, when states were formed on linguistic lines. During this time, Maharashtra had laid claim to Belagavi - which has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population - as well as several villages on the outskirts.
