While the Karnataka bandh passed off peacefully elsewhere on Saturday, the evening before was marred by violence in Navalgund taluk, with the police allegedly using brute force on many, including women and the elderly, in Yamanur and Alagawadi villages, and leaving several of them injured.
With the arrest of 187 persons in Dharwad district and 33 in Yamanur alone, the menfolk of the villages around Navalgund are petrified. Many have left the village, leaving the women and elderly there.
On the pretext of arresting miscreants, the police late on Friday allegedly barged into several houses. They rained lathis indiscriminately on women and the elderly, alleged the people of the two villages, showing marks of lathis on them.
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A pregnant woman, too, has reportedly suffered a lathi blow in Yamanur village. Siddavva Saravari (70), Savitri Hiremath (55), and Kashavva Chulaki (55) were among those who were victims of the alleged lathicharge.
“They came in a group, knocked on our door, and threatened to break it open. And then they dragged out my husband and took him away,” Salma of Alagawadi village said. The situation of Manjula in Yamanur was worse. She said they dragged out the men. “Where there were no men, their anger turned towards the women and they caned us,” she alleged.
Geeta of Yamanur and Suma of Alagawadi had similar horrifying experiences and said with almost no menfolk in the villages, who fled fearing arrest, they are worried about staying on in the village.
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What fuelled their anger further was a statement by district in-charge Minister Vinay Kulkarni that the issue had been “blown out of proportion.”
‘Inhuman act’
In the evening, various political leaders, including former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, former Minister Basavaraj Horatti, and MLA Konaraddi, made a beeline to Yamanur and Alagawadi villages to console the residents. They held the senior officials responsible for the inhuman act and sought their suspension.
Following media reports, a team from the Health Department visited the villages and provided treatment.