Karnataka - Madikeri   

Protests mar Rajyotsava celebrations in Kodagu

UP IN ARMS: Madikeri MLA K.G. Bopaiah (third from left) leads protesters during the Kodagu bandh in Madikeri on Thursday.

Madikeri: Protests by various organisations marred the Rajyotsava celebrations in all the three taluks of Kodagu district.

The Kodagu Asthitva Horata Samiti had given a bandh call to protest against the State Government for not taking steps to resolve the “bane” lands issue.

The protesters, who gathered at the fort in the morning, threw garlands, broke flower pots and damaged a tableau of the district administration. The venue was changed in the last minute from the District Stadium.

They also chased away students who came to participate in the celebrations.

Madikeri MLA K.G. Bopaiah and president of the Kodagu BJP unit M.P. Sunil Subramani dared the police to arrest them.

They took the police officers to task when some of them tried to arrest a few agitated members. The protesters also tried to prevent Deputy Commissioner K.R. Niranjan from hoisting the flag.

However, the police intervened and brought the situation under control. Sensing trouble, a section of the people dispersed. Later, Mr. Niranjan hoisted the Kannada flag and read out the Rajyotsava Day message from the ramparts of the fort.

Mr. Niranjan said that the State had crossed another milestone in the “Suvarna Karnataka” year. Youth should be educated about the rich culture of the State, he added.

All cultural programmes scheduled to be held in the evening at the Town Hall were cancelled by the district administration as a precautionary measure. The protesters also stopped vehicles entering Madikeri at General Thimayya Circle.

The former MLC A.K. Subbaiah, convener of the samiti M.N. Belliappa and Matanda C. Monnappa, president of the Akhila Kodava Samaja, addressed the people in Virajpet.

Mr. Subbaiah criticised the district administration for not taking up issues concerning the people with the Governor and for not inviting the leaders of the samiti for talks. He alleged that the two committees formed to look into the “bane” land issue were constituted with a view to negating the verdict of the High Court with regard to the Chekkera K. Poovaiah case.

C.S. Arun Machaiah, MLC, condemned the taluk administration for taking steps to conduct the Rajyotsava celebrations with police protection. Mr. Subbaiah, Mr. Belliappa, Mr. Monnappa and co-convener of the samiti A.P. Vasu visited Madikeri in the afternoon.

In Somwarpet, B.A. Jivijaya, MLA; and M.P. Appachu Ranjan, former MLA; prevented tahsildar K.M. Suresh Kumar from delivering his speech at the mini-Vidhana Soudha. Copies of the speech were snatched away from the tahsildar before he could read it. Mr. Jivijaya and Mr. Ranjan then tied a black cloth on the flag post to register their protest.

They also prevented members of the Somwarpet Town Panchayat from taking out the statue of ‘Kannadambe’ in a procession.

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Protests mar Rajyotsava celebrations in Kodagu

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