Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 12
The Karnataka Congress government, on Thursday, defended the police action against the protesters demanding reservation under 2A Category for the Panchamasali Lingayats even as the community members staged protests across the state demanding suspension of senior cops for alleged highhandedness.

Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, state Home Minister G. Parameshwara said the police had resorted to a lathi-charge as a preventive measure and there was no ill intention behind it. The Kudalasangama Panchamasali Peeth seer Basava Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami and his associates violated the prohibitory orders.

“This is what had happened exactly. I don’t want to go into the aspect of demand for reservations. We will be blamed if the law-and-order system is not maintained. In that background, action has been taken,” Parameshwara said.

He further stated, “Panchamasali sect under the leadership of the seer wanted to protest. To stage a protest is their right. We have not restricted them from staging a protest. He has stated that he would lay siege to the Suvarna Soudha with 5,000 tractors. We did not permit and the seer had approached the court. The court had ordered that the government need not allow the tractors but protestors should be allowed to arrive in Belagavi and stage a protest. A specific place was given for them to protest. Our Chief Minister had sent Ministers H.C. Mahadevappa, K. Venkatesh and M.C. Sudhakar was sent. Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, who hails from Belagavi, had also gone with them.”

"The seer did not budge and demanded that the Chief Minister come to the venue of the protest. When the Ministers were explaining that it was not possible for CM Siddaramaiah to come there, the seer told the protesters to go to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha," Parameshwara stated, adding, "Then, protesters started coming on the main road (national highway) by pushing away barricades. The police had to stop them. The court had given orders to stage the protest peacefully and not to take law and order into their hands. The district authorities have also given certain orders," he said.

"All prohibitory orders were violated and High Court orders were also violated as they came forward to lay siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, the police had resorted to mild lathi-charge. If they were allowed to lay siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, everyone would have done it," he stated.

Sources stated that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had received information about the incident from Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan and was conveyed that the police action against the protesters was correct.

CM Siddaramaiah went through the complete video footage and was briefed that there was a violation of the High Court order, sources stated.

Meanwhile, the members of Panchamasali Lingayats were staging protests across the state following the call by the seer Basava Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami to block roads.

The Panchamasali seer staged a protest near the toll plaza at Hirebagewadi on the outskirts of Belagavi on the national highway. He dubbed CM Siddaramaiah as anti-Lingayat. The protests were staged in Hubballi, Haveri, Gadag and other district headquarters.

The agitation by the Panchmasali Lingayats community turned violent after a mob pelted stones at police and attempted to lay siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi on Tuesday. The police had stopped thousands of protesters on their way to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, warning them not to march further. The agitators allegedly threw stones and footwear at the police personnel after which police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the mob.

The seer has charged that the community leaders are being "threatened" by the Congress government in Karnataka to suppress the agitation for reservation. The seer had warned that if anything went wrong, there would be a "blood revolution" in the state.

The Panchamasali community has been demanding inclusion under the 2A category. This will help them to move to the bracket of backward communities where 15 per cent reservation is provided for different communities. The community is presently placed under the 3B category, which gets five per cent reservation in government jobs and education institutions.

The Panchamasali sect is one of the major sects in the Lingayat community and predominantly settled in the North Karnataka region and mostly engaged in agriculture.

The development has taken a serious turn with the BJP pledging total support to the agitation and demands of the Panchamasali Lingayat sect. The Lingayats form the core support for the BJP in Karnataka.

Siddaramaiah govt defends police action on Panchamasali Lingayat protesters