Sri Ram Sene’s protest march stopped by police in Belagavi

Belagavi: Hundreds of Sri Ram Sene activists, led by their chief Pramod Mutalik, attempted to launch the ‘Ingali Chalo' protest march from Belagavi on Thursday, condemning the recent assault on cow vigilantes at Ingali village in Hukkeri taluk. However, police detained the activists before the march could commence.The protest was in response to the incident where five Sri Ram Sene members were allegedly tied to a coconut tree and assaulted by locals in Ingali village. Belagavi police have since arrested four accused and registered a suo-motu case in connection with the attack.According to Belagavi superintendent of police Dr Bhimashankar Guled, the conflict was triggered after the activists allegedly entered the residence of a Muslim family, causing panic among women inside. He said this intrusion provoked the reaction from villagers. The SP also raised concerns about the background of one of the assaulted individuals, who is a rowdy sheeter, and questioned whether he officially represented the Sri Ram Sene.Rejecting the SP's version of events as ‘false' and ‘misleading,' Sri Ram Sene launched the ‘Ingali Chalo' campaign. Protesters first formed a human chain at Rani Channamma Circle, raised slogans against the govt, and later marched to the deputy commissioner's office to submit a memorandum. As they proceeded toward Ingali, police detained several leaders, including district president Gangadhar Kulkarni and Ravikumar Kokitkar.Earlier, while addressing the gathering, Pramod Mutalik condemned the attack on SRS workers, stating, "This is not Pakistan or Afghanistan. Assaulting cow vigilantes in such a Taliban-style manner is unconstitutional. The govt must take strict action. If this repeats, the Hindu community will respond."In response to SP Guled's remarks questioning the involvement of a rowdy sheeter in the vigilante group, Mutalik defended the individual. "Today, police are branding even Hindu activists like Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat and Chakravarthy Sulibele as rowdies. This is an attempt to divert public attention from the real issue."He alleged that the administration is trying to protect the accused and suppress cow protection efforts by discrediting the activists.