The Belagavi city police tightened security around the statues of Sangolli Rayanna and Shivaji, following a protest by organisations against some defamatory posts here on Sunday.
Members of some Maratha organisations and the Shivaji Yuva Morcha took out a protest march seeking action against those who had shared posts allegedly insulting Shivaji. Then they submitted a memorandum to the Police Commissioner K. Thiyagarajan.
“We will not only take action against those who post such messages, but also those who comment on them and the admins of those Twitter handles or Facebook groups,” he said.
He urged the people of the district to stop comparing the two heroes and to stop insulting one, while praising the other. “The people of Peeranwadi have amicably resolved the issue of the instllation of the Rayanna statue. The city police requests you respect the decision of the people of Peeranwadi,” Dr. Thiyagarajan said in the message.
Complaint to be filed
He told The Hindu an FIR would be filed based on the complaint by the protesters.
“Our officers will keep a strict vigil on social media for such posts and take pre-emptive action to ensure that they don’t cause any serious law and order problems,” he said.
