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MES observes black day in Belagavi demanding merger with Maharashtra

Belagavi, Karnataka, India · Nov 1, 2026

Is it still on?

NOIt was a one-day action on Nov 1.

Last report · checked

The Tea in three lines

Why they are protesting
Protesters opposed the state's linguistic reorganization and integration of border regions into Karnataka.
What they want
They demanded the merger of Belagavi, Khanapur, Bidar, Bhalki, Karwar, and Nipani with Maharashtra.
What changed
Nov 1: Police detained Kannada and Shiv Sena activists while allowing the MES rally to conclude under heavy security.
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Both sides

What protesters want

  • Merger of Belagavi, Khanapur, Bidar, Bhalki, Karwar, and Nipani with Maharashtra

Organised by: Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti

What authorities say

According to sources, the district administration and police denied permission for the protest, deployed heavy security, detained rival activists who attempted to enter the rally area, and turned back Shiv Sena members at the border checkpost. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar appealed to everyone to respect the state and its laws.12

The full story

The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) observed a black day in Belagavi on November 1, 2026, as an alternative to Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations. Despite the district administration and city police commissionerate denying permission for the event, members marched from Sambhaji Garden to Maratha Mandir wearing black attire and carrying saffron flags and placards. Protesters raised slogans in Marathi demanding the integration of Marathi-speaking border areas into Maharashtra, arguing that the regions were unjustly incorporated during the 1950s linguistic reorganization. Police deployed elaborate security arrangements across the city, detaining Kannada activists and turning back over 50 Shiv Sena activists from Maharashtra at the Koganolli checkpost. Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar appealed to both communities not to take the law into their own hands.

Timeline

  1. Police detained rival activists attempting to enter the rally area and stopped Shiv Sena members at the border.12

  2. MES held a rally in Belagavi observing a black day despite authorities denying permission for the event.123

Pins sit on city centres, never on gathering points

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