7 held for desecrating Shivaji statue in Karnataka

Seven people, who allegedly defaced the statue of Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji in Bengaluru with black ink have been arrested, police said on Sunday.

Based on a complaint lodged on Friday, the police launched a manhunt and nabbed the prime accused along with six others.

The miscreants were apparently upset with the demand of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, a regional outfit fighting for the merger of Belagavi into the western state.

The accused have been charged with creating enmity between communities and conspiracy.

The alleged desecration of Shivaji Maharaj's statue caused a snowball effect with vandals targeting the statue of freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna in Belagavi following which Karnataka and Maharashtra locked horns yet again on Saturday.

While Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai condemned the untoward incidents and ordered action against culprits, his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray had demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to stop 'Kannada atrocities' and the 'pervert mindset'.

Bommai also appealed to people to respect iconic personalities and avoid lending ears to rumours, after miscreants targeted statues of freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna and Shivaji in Belagavi and Bengaluru.

Tension prevailed in Belagavi bordering Maharashtra on Saturday after alleged activists of Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti (MES) vandalised the statue of Rayanna, a 19th century icon who fought against the British, at Angol on South Belagavi, following news that a statue of Shivaji has been desecrated in Bengaluru.

"I appeal to people to respect patriots. They had laid down their lives for the nation. As a mark of respect, the statues of Kittur Rani Chennamma, Sangolli Rayanna and Shivaji Maharaj were built. We have to respect them and retain their dignity," Bommai said.

'Be it Chatrapati Shivaji, Kittur Rani Chenamma or Veera Sangoli Rayanna, all of them fought against colonial forces for the freedom of our country,' he tweeted earlier.

'Insulting any of our great national leaders in the name of language politics is disservice to their nationalistic spirit and will not be tolerated. Under no circumstances will we let miscreants disrupt law and order in Karnataka,' Bommai said.

He asked people not to mix other issues to demean the contribution of historical figures.

"Our government will not tolerate anyone insulting the patriots and disturbing law and order in the state. Convey your sentiments peacefully. Whoever they are, we will deal with them with iron hand," Bommai told reporters.

Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said strict action has been taken against the miscreants who damaged the statue of Sangolli Rayanna.

The minister said Marathi and Kannada speaking people are living in harmony in areas bordering Belagavi but some miscreants, who are 'not even the dust' of great personalities, damaged their statues.

He also said that he is in touch with the police officials in Bengaluru and Belagavi to ensure that law and order is maintained.

Meanwhile, the district administration has clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in Belagavi till December 20 morning.