Tension over installation of freedom fighter's statue in Karnataka village
Belagavi: Tension prevailed at a village in Belagavi district bordering Maharashtra on Friday, with a section of people objecting to installation of a statue of 18th century warrior and freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna.
Police resorted to lathi charge to bring the situation under control.
According to official sources, some admirers of Rayanna installed his statue at a road junction in Peeranwadi during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
A section of others raised objections as the news spread, leading to tension in the area.
Those objecting, largely Marathi speaking, are opposed to the location where they want to install a statue of Maratha ruler Shivaji, after whom the circle is named.
They also have apprehensions that its name too may be changed in future. Realising that the situation was turning tense with some skirmish breaking out, police used batons to disperse the gathered crowd.
According to officials, they also tried to calm the protesters stating that the statue has been installed without requisite permission, the issue can be dealt with legally.
An FIR has been booked in this regard and action will be taken, they said.
Additional forces have been called in to avoid the situation spiral out of control.
Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said in Bengaluru that he will speak to the Belagavi Deputy Commissioner to resolve the issue amicably.
Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said police have taken stringent measures to control the situation, and that he has spoken to Belagavi Police Commissioner and IG, also ADGP Law and Order is visiting the area.
"All necessary police bandobast is being made....." he said, adding that the administration was making all efforts to resolve things peacefully by taking everyone into confidence.
On August 15, police thwarted attempts to install Rayanna's statue there, citing absence of permission from the authorities for the same, and also Supreme Court directions against such moves near highways.
This had led to protests in different parts of Karnataka by pro-Kannada organisations, especially in Belagavi, which has a sizable Marathi-speaking population.
District in-charge Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi had said on Thursday a decision to install the statue will be taken on August 29 within legal parameters and as per the guidelines of Apex Court.
Sangolli Rayanna (1798-1831) was the army chief of the erstwhile Kittur Kingdom ruled by Rani Chennamma and fought against the British who hanged him to death from a Banyan tree near Nandagad in Belagavi district in 1831.
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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.
