They also blackened the number plates of some vehicles.
The activists were heading towards Belagavi from Bengaluru to stage a massive protest against the visit of Maharashtra leaders to Belagavi.
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A strong police force was deployed at the toll booth located on Pune-Bengaluru National Highway-4, to prevent KRV activists and Narayana Gowda from entering Belagavi. At that time, heated discussions broke out between activists and police officers.
Speaking to the media, KRV chief Narayana Gowda strongly condemned the act of the police department.
“We were not going to Maharashtra to protest but to Belagavi which is a part and parcel of Karnataka. Stopping half way is not right. Is it a police state?” he asked, adding that he will speak to Home Minister Araga Jnanendra about it.
“We had planned to send a strong message to Maharashtra which has unnecessarily created a disturbance in the border issue. We had planned to hoist a thousand flags in Belagavi which was stopped by the police,” Gowda expressed his anger.
Deepak Gudaganatti, District Chairman of KRV expressed dissatisfaction with the government claiming that it is a conspiracy to suppress the Kannadigas struggle using police power.
Government gives permission to Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) to organize Marathi Maha Melava and other functions against state government but suppresses movements protecting Karnataka land, language and culture.
KRV leaders Mahadev Talawar, Rudragouda Patil, Mahesh Hattiholi, Ramesh Talawar and other activists were arrested by police.
