Karnataka: Tension gripped Belagavi after Sangolli Rayanna statue found defaced

BELAGAVI: Tension prevailed in Macche village of Belagavi taluk from Thursday late night after a black liquid substance was found smeared on the statue of freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna.

Police deployed additional personnel in and around the area as a precaution.Residents alerted authorities after noticing the defaced statue. City Police Commissioner Bhushan Borase, DCP Narayan Baramani, and other senior officials visited the spot and inspected the site.Police said it was yet to be ascertained whether the substance was deliberately poured as black oil or liquid residue from a tree attached to the statue.

Samples were collected and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis. The statue was cleaned immediately, and CCTV footage from a camera located about 10 metres away is being examined. A case was registered at the Belagavi Rural Police Station.Commissioner Borase said a complaint was received regarding the black substance and that an investigation was in progress.The incident drew strong condemnation from Kannada organisations.

Deepak Gudaganatti, district President of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Narayana Gowda faction), demanded immediate action and warned of protests if the culprits were not traced.A large number of locals gathered at the site. Residents said the statue, installed around 3 years ago, never faced such an incident. Given Macche’s linguistic sensitivity and the coincidence with Chhatrapati Shivaji Jayanti, police are probing all angles.It is a 5-foot-tall standing statue of Sangolli Rayanna in black colour, established under the tree called ‘basari gida’. The location is just in front of the local town panchayat.