CONTROLLING VIOLENCE: A policeman chasing people during violence in Khanapur town on Thursday.

Khanapur/Belgaum: Several persons, including police personnel and two journalists, were injured when police resorted to lathi-charge to quell miscreants who threw stones at Kannada signboards and attacked State-owned transport buses, private vehicles and police in Khanapur town and parts of Belgaum, even as the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti-sponsored "Yuva Mela" was under way at Khanapur on Thursday.

At Khanapur, miscreants allegedly damaged some vehicles parked on the roadside and threw stones at police forcing the latter to burst teargas shells. Superintendent of Police Hemant Nimbalkar rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Trouble started at about 3.45 p.m. when some persons, suspected to be in inebriated condition, started throwing stones at shops with Kannada signboards opposite Tararani High School, the venue of the conference on Belgaum-Goa National Highway No. 4A, even as the function was under progress.

Soon, people started moving to safe places fearing violence.

They indulged in violence just at the end of an alleged provocative speech by Nitin Bangude Patil of Satara in Maharashtra.

Initially, police led by Additional Superintendent of Police S.K. Hegde tried to chase the miscreants away by resorting to lathi-charge. However, with more stones raining at the police from different directions, police lobbed teargas shells at the mob.

SAdditional forces were rushed from Belgaum.

According to preliminary reports, Srikant Aptekar, reporter of Marathi daily "Pudhari," was among the injured. A police constable suffered injuries in stone-throwing.

Miscreants again indulged in stone-throwing while returning to Belgaum city and targeted over a dozen Karnataka State Transport Corporation buses going towards Khanapur beyond near Machhe, Tipu Sultan Nagar and Udyambag. Private vehicles bearing Kannada registration number and shops with Kannada name boards were also targeted. Some passengers were reportedly injured in stone-throwing.

Assistant Commissioner Vijaykumar Torgal, who is camping with additional police forces in Khanapur, said the situation was under control.

Twelve persons were injured in the incident. Some of the miscreants have been arrested.

20 policemen injured

According to Additional Superintendent of Police S.K.Hegde, 20 police personnel were injured in stone throwing and two police vans damaged.

About 35 persons have been arrested for indulging in violence and destruction.

Seventeen persons have been arrested by Belgaum Rural Police for indulging in violence in Machhe and Udyambag areas on Belgaum-Khanapur Road.

`Wrong message'

The common Marathi speaking people have criticised the manner in which the miscreants holding saffron flags resorted to unprovoked violence defeating the objective of the conference and its cause.

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