More than 300 protesters from Maharashtra stopped at Karnataka border

Amid simmering tension at the Karnataka-Maharashtra border, more than 300 members of Shiv Sena, Congress, and Nationalist Congress Party were stopped and sent back by Karnataka authorities as they staged protest near Kognoli Toll plaza at the inter-state border.

Meanwhile, in the contested Belagavi region, where the Karnataka assembly session is taking place, Section 144 was imposed to prevent demonstrations and large gatherings.

The border dispute dates back to the 1960s after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines. Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency as it has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to 80 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka.