Police foil MES' bid to hold Maha Melav, leaders detained in Belagavi

The city on Monday witnessed high drama with more than 30 Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) activists being taken into preventive custody after they tried to go-ahead with planned Maha Melava despite the district administration refusing permission for the same.

The district administration and the police had refused a plea by MES to hold the Maha Melava to avoid any untoward incident in the wake of simmering tensions over boundary dispute and with winter session of state legislature underway.

ADGP (law and order) Alok Kumar camped at the protest site at Vaccine Depot in Tilakwadi and ensured the stage erected on a private property evicted and seized campaign material. The police detained MES leaders Renu Killekar, Sarita Patil, Shivaji Suntakar, Ravi Salunke among others when they arrived at the protest site. The agitating MES leaders raised pro-Maharashtra and Samyukta Maharashtra Jhalaach Pahije slogans even as the police bundled them into a bus.

NCP, Sena workers detained

Meanwhile, the district police wielded lathi to disperse the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers, who tried to enter the state to attend Maha Melava, near Kognolli check post in Nippani taluk.

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The police detained more than 200 NCP and Sena workers and pro-Marathi activists, including NCP MLA Hasan Mushriff, Sena Kolahpur district president Vijay Devene, Pratap Mane, Sunil Maali, Sachin Chavan among others.

The alert police also prevented Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders from entering Karnataka via Shinoli in Chandgad taluk.

Last year too, the district administration had rejected MES' request for holding Maha Melava. The MES, however, went ahead and held the Melava on the streets. The city witnessed tense moments after the pro-Kannada activists threw black ink on MES leader Deepak Dalavi.

The MES, joined by several pro-Marathi organisations, NCP and Shiv Sena, has been for decades demanding merger of Belagavi, Nippani, Khanapur, Bidar and Bhalki with Maharashtra.