Maharashtra MP says Belagavi DC illegally restrained him from entering district

Maharashtra MP Dhairyasheel S. Mane has filed a privilege complaint against Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan for issuing prohibitory orders against him from entering Belagavi district.

Mr. Mane met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in New Delhi on Saturday and submitted a letter saying that his privilege as a Lok Sabha member has been violated and sought action against Mr. Roshan.

Mr Mane is a Member of Parliament from Hatkanagala in Maharashtra and a member of the Maharashtra government-appointed committee on inter-State border affairs.

Mr. Roshan restrained Mr. Mane from entering Belagavi on November 1 this year and stopped him from participating in a Black Day event organised by Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES).

The MES, a Belagavi-based political party, that is fighting for the merger of Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka with Maharashtra, has been organising Black Day events in Belagavi on Rajyotsava Day (November 1) every year. This time, the MES invited Mr. Mane to speak at the Black Day event.

The prohibitory order against Mr. Mane was to avert any law and order problem following his speech as the district administration had inputs that Mr. Mane was likely to make a provocative speech. Successive Deputy Commissioners have taken similar action against Maharashtra politicians during Black Day events in the past.

Mr. Mane has said that he was going to Belagavi to express solidarity with the MES members who have launched a movement to get Belagavi and 865 other Marathi-speaking villages included in Maharashtra.

“MES members are deeply upset that it was on November 1, 1956 these Marathi-speaking areas were merged with Karnataka and not Maharashtra. They have been protesting against this since the linguistic reorganisation of States and I stand in support of the agitation and against the injustice suffered by the Marathi-speaking people,” he said.

“On November 1, this year, the MES members were planning to hold a peaceful protest by showing black flags. They invited me as an MP and a member of the border dispute committee,” he said.

“However, when I was travelling from Maharashtra to Karnataka, Mr. Roshan, who is also the District Magistrate of Belagavi, issued a notice against me. The police stopped me from entering the district. This notice was illegal, unfair and unjustified. I have a right to travel anywhere in India. I am a people’s representative and have no criminal record. Notices against my travel, therefore, are unjustified. My privilege has been violated. Hence, I seek action against the officer,” Mr. Mane said.

Complaint condemned

However, Kannada organisations have strongly condemned the complaint against the Deputy Commissioner.

“The complaint by Mr. Mane against Mr Roshan is unreasonable and illogical,” said chairman of the central committee of Kannada organisations Ashok Chandaragi. The committee has sent a letter to Mr. Birla’s office.

“By submitting this letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr. Mane has not only hidden a truth but also proved true to the old Kannada adage that the guilty try to shout the loudest that they are not. Citizens from any part of the country, including MPs from Maharashtra, are free to travel all over the country. Ministers and MPs from Maharashtra also visit Belagavi hundreds of times. There have been no orders against such movements,” he said.

“But there was a clear reason why the Belagavi district administration restrained Mr. Mane. The timing of his visit and his history of making provocative speech made it to prohibit his entry. Mr. Mane and his supporters should understand this,” he said.

“There are many examples of Maharashtra leaders coming to Belagavi on that particular day and making provocative speech, thereby jeopardising law and order. Similarly, there was every possibility of Mr. Mane coming here and inciting the Marathi populace. He has hidden this fact from the Speaker,” he said.

By complaining against the pre-emptive action of the Belagavi Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Mane has not only tried to behave in an unprofessional manner but has also treated the [Lok Sabha] Speaker’s office with lesser importance than it deserves, the letter said.

“Kannada organisations of the border areas not only fully support the action of the Belagavi Deputy Commissioner but also stand firmly behind the officer,” said Mr. Chandaragi, who is also a member of the Karnataka State Border Development Authority.

Copy of the letter has been given to Belagavi MP Jagadish Shettar.