Belgaum: Though the State government removed the contentious signboard at Yellur village on Friday July 25, thereby ending a nearly two-decade-old controversy, tension has prevailed between the bordering regions.
On Sunday July 27, the police imposed a lathi charge after the people of Yellur protested and created a chaos for the same.
Similar contentious signboards can be found in villages dominated by Marathi-speaking communities in Belgaum taluk.
After the State government removed it on Saturday, July 26 Marathi-speaking people re-installed the signboard at the entrance of Yellur village in Belgaum taluk, indicating that the village is in Maharashtra a day after it was removed.
However the police removed the same on Sunday morning. The police also lathi charged in Yellur and many persons were injured in the lathi charge.
Similar boards were also put up at other places such as Sulga, Desur, Rajhuns gad. Sources say police is now going to these places to remove the boards as well.
The district administration, under police protection, had demolished the plaque on Friday after the High Court of Karnataka had questioned about the measures taken to remove the plaque, following to the public interest litigation by social activist Bhimappa Gadad.
The Belgaum DC, N Jayaram said the signboard was illegal and have to be removed. He appealed to both Marathi and Kannada-linguistic communities and their leaders not to issue provocative statements and harm the harmony and peace of the region.
Heavy police deployment is there in the village currently.
