Panchamasali protesters try to storm Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi Karnataka reservation

Police stopped several groups led by community leaders, including Sri Basava Jaya Mrutyunjay swami, BJP MLAs Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and Arvind Bellad, that tried to forcefully enter the Suvarna Soudha.

Police used canes to disperse members of the Panchamasali reservation agitation committee when they tried to storm the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi on December 10.

Police stopped several groups led by community leaders, including Sri Basava Jaya Mrutyunjay swami, BJP MLAs Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and Arvind Bellad, that tried to forcefully enter the Suvarna Soudha. Police pushed them away successfully and cleared the protest site. The leaders were taken into custody and moved away from the site.

The protest led to a traffic jam for over an hour.

Activists tried to break the police barricade, and threw stones at police and government vehicles. Some also tried to climb the fence and enter the premises from the sides and backside.

Committee leaders claimed that around 20 protestors were injured in the lathi charge. However, police said only one person was injured in the caning.

The committee members organised a rally in Kondaskoppa village off the Pune -Bengaluru national highway near the Suvarna Soudha. Leaders including Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Aravind Bellad and C C Patil addressed the protestors.

The seer announced that the protest would continue till the government fulfilled their demand for recategorisation of the community into Other Backward Classes 2A group from 3B.