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MES stages protest against alleged imposition of Kannada on signboards in Belagavi

MES stages protest against alleged imposition of Kannada on signboards in Belagavi

Time of Indiaa day ago
Belagavi: Hundreds of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) activists staged a protest at the deputy commissioner's office here on Monday, opposing what they described as the 'forceful imposition' of Kannada on signboards across Belagavi city.
Originally, MES planned a protest march from Sambhaji Chowk to the DC office via Channamma Circle. However, after city police denied permission for the rally, protesters assembled directly at the DC office premises and submitted a memorandum to DC Mohammad Roshan. Speaking while submitting the memorandum, MES President and former MLA Manohar Kinekar demanded the restoration of signboards in Marathi and English that were allegedly removed by Belagavi City Corporation (BCC). He also urged the administration to ensure bilingual signage—Kannada and Marathi—in govt offices and to provide official documents in Marathi, citing provisions under the Linguistic Minorities Act. Kinekar warned that MES would launch a large-scale agitation if their demands were not met within a month. In a related development, MES president Manohar Kinekar assured the district administration that the organisation would not escalate the language issue during the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi.
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