Belagavi bars Shiv Sena (UBT), MES leaders from entering district on November 1

Belagavi, Oct 31 : The Belagavi district administration has prohibited leaders of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction and Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) activists from entering the district on November 1, citing apprehensions of communal and linguistic tensions during Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations.

The prohibitory order, issued by Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Mohammed Roshan, will remain in force throughout November 1 under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.

According to a police report submitted on October 30, Shiv Sena (UBT) Kolhapur district president Vijay Shamrao Devane was likely to enter Belagavi through the Nipani-Koganoli stretch of National Highway 48 along with around 25 MES and Shiv Sena activists. The group was reportedly planning to participate in a proposed 'Black Day' programme opposing the merger of Marathi-speaking areas, including Belagavi, with Karnataka following the reorganisation of states in 1956.

Police have expressed concern that provocative speeches on the longstanding Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute could aggravate tensions between Kannada- and Marathi-speaking communities, disturb public peace and potentially result in damage to public and private property.

The entry restriction also covers Sanjay Pawar, Sunil Modi, Sunil Shintre, Vishal Devkule and Manjit Mane, along with other accompanying MES and Shiv Sena activists.

The Deputy Commissioner has directed the Belagavi City Police Commissioner and the district Superintendent of Police to ensure strict enforcement of the order.

The decision comes amid preparations for the annual Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations. During a preparatory meeting held earlier this month, Roshan had made it clear that permission would not be granted to the MES to organise a Black Day programme on November 1. The administration has maintained that activities likely to disrupt the state formation day celebrations would not be permitted and warned of strict action against violations of prohibitory orders.

The MES has traditionally observed November 1 as a Black Day, demanding the merger of Belagavi and other Marathi-speaking areas with Maharashtra. The organisation maintains that its movement is democratic and that it has the right to express its views on the border dispute.

The decades-old Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute remains an unresolved and sensitive political issue between the two neighbouring states.