Police Crackdown on Panchamasali Lingayat Protests in Belagavi Sparks Political and Social Unrest

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The police in Karnataka's Belagavi district took severe actions against the Panchamasali Lingayat community to control escalating law and order issues. The protests, led by the honorary president of the reservation committee, Basava Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami, were demanding the inclusion of the Panchamasali community in the 2A reservation category, which offers a 15% quota, instead of their current 3B category with a 5% quota.

The situation turned violent when protesters attempted to breach the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha premises using tractors and blocked National Highway-4. Clashes erupted, leading to stone-pelting and damage to government and police vehicles. In response, the police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd, which further intensified the protests.

Basava Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of orchestrating the lathi charge to demean the community and called for an apology from the CM. He also demanded the withdrawal of FIRs against the protesters and the suspension of police officers involved in the lathi charge. The seer warned that if the government failed to meet their demands, 2.5 to 5 million Panchamasali Lingayats were ready to lay siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defended the police action, stating that the government could not ignore law and order issues and that the police action was justified due to a violation of a High Court order. The protests and subsequent police actions have sparked significant political and social unrest, with the opposition party, BJP, demanding an apology from the CM and action against the police.