Police resort to lathi-charge in Belagavi as Panchamasali protest turns violent
Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 10: Police on Tuesday allegedly resorted to lathi-charge as the protests by the Panchamasali Lingayats turned violent.
The protestors breached the barricade laid by the police to lay siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha where the Karnataka Legislative session is in progress.
The agitation was led by Basava Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami who has been demanding the inclusion of Panchamasali community in the 2A category, which will get them 15 per cent reservation in government jobs and admission in government institutions. Presently, the community is in the 3B category getting five per cent reservation.
The angry agitators damaged government vehicles and also the ones belonging to the MLAs and the MLCs.
ALSO READ: Panchamasali seer upset over restrictions on protests in Belagavi
Seeing the situation going out of hand, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law and Order, R Hitendra, ordered lathi-charge.
As the police beat up all those who came on their way, the agitators ran helter-skelter. Several protestors were injured and were later shifted to the hospital.
The police took many demonstrators under preventive custody.
#WATCH | Karnataka: A large number of people gathered in Belagavi to demonstrate over Panchamasali Lingayats' reservation demand under 2A category. Police used mild force to disperse them. pic.twitter.com/2YLTGdpkbm
— ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2024
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
