Belagavi police have booked legislators from Maharashtra for participating in the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti mega rally in Belagavi on Monday, despite the Karnataka government prohibiting them from doing so.
MP Dhananjay Mahadik, and MLAs Sandhya Kupekar and Jayantrao Patil, and former MLA A.K. Patil have been booked for violating the ban and under various provisions of the IPC.
Local MES leaders including MLAs Sambhaji Patil and Aravind Patil and leaders of various MES factions including Deepak Dalavi, Digambar Patil, former Mayor Malojirao Ashtekar, former MLA Manohar Kinnekar, Prakash Maragle and Vikas Kalaghatagi are among leaders booked for various violations of the conditional permit issued by the city police.
They face charges including wrongful restraint (341IPC), disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant (188 IPC), danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation (283 IPC), and criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention (34IPC), along with section 109 of Karnataka Police Act (contravening orders issued under various sections).
Police Commissioner T.G. Krishna Bhat had approved, with some conditions, an application by the MES for organising the Maha Melava mega rally in Belagavi on Monday, to coincide with the winter session of the Assembly. Deputy Commissioner S. Ziyaullah had expressly prohibited the participation of leaders from Maharashtra in the rally. However, the leaders from the neighbouring State defied the ban orders and local leaders violated the conditions, by making provocative speeches aimed at disturbing linguistic harmony, police said.
