Lingayat Panchamsali community protest turns violent; seer, others detained

Belagavi: The protest organised by the Lingayat Panchamsali Community under the banner of 'Lingayat Panchamsali Sangharsh Samavesh' at Kondaskoppa, near Suvarna Vidhan Soudha in Karnataka's Belagavi, turned violent on Tuesday as the state government failed to provide clarity on their demand for a 2A reservation for the community.

Among those detained by the police were Basav Jaymritunjay Swamiji of Panchamsali Peetha, Kudalsangam, BJP MLAs Basangouda Patil Yatnal and Arvind Bellad, Rajya Sabha Member Iranna Kadadi, and others.

As the protesters marched towards Suvarna Vidhan Soudha, police attempted to prevent them. This led to stone-pelting by the protesters, and in response, the police used a lathi charge to control the situation. Despite this, the protesters remained on the road, claiming that the police used force even though their demonstration was peaceful.

MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal speaks during the protest organised by Lingayat Panchamsali Community

Earlier, during a meeting, Social Welfare Minister Dr H C Mahadevappa, who visited the community's gathering, said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was aware of their demands, and community MLAs had raised the issue in the assembly. Discussions on the matter would continue on Thursday.

Basav Jaymritunjay Swamiji of Panchamsali Peetha, Kudalsangam, announced that they would submit their demands again to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in front of the statue of Rani Channamma at the Suvarna Vidhan Soudha and would lay siege to the state's second secretariat

Police attempted to block the protesters from crossing onto the Pune-Bengaluru national highway by placing barricades, but the protesters dismantled them and rushed onto the highway. Police detained some protesters and took them to Hirebagewadi, but the protests continued.

Protesters threw stones and footwear at the police, damaging the windshield of a police jeep. Several members of the Lingayat Panchamsali community were injured in the lathi charge and during the stone-pelting