A man was taken into custody on Wednesday for allegedly intimidating the Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) of Kinaye Gram Panchayat in Belagavi district over a linguistic disagreement, police reported.
The suspect, identified as Tippanna Subhash Dokre, visited the Gram Panchayat office on Tuesday concerning a property-related issue. During his visit, he allegedly insisted that PDO Nagendra Pattar issue official records in Marathi instead of Kannada.
As tensions rose, Dokre reportedly verbally abused the officer. A video of the argument surfaced online and quickly gained traction, leading to his swift arrest by Belagavi Rural Police. DCP (Law & Order) Rohan Jagadeesh confirmed the incident, stating that strict measures will be taken against any misconduct targeting government officials.
Dokre faces charges for obstructing a public servant from performing official duties.
Previous Language-Linked Incident
In a separate case, a state-run bus conductor was reportedly assaulted by a group of Marathi-speaking youth for not conversing in their language while on duty. This incident, which took place on a bus route from Belagavi to Balekundri, intensified tensions, causing a temporary halt in inter-state bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra.
The border and language dispute between the two states stems from the 1957 reorganization of states, with Maharashtra claiming Belagavi due to its significant Marathi-speaking population. However, Karnataka upholds the territorial division based on the 1967 Mahajan Commission report.
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