Authorities say the procession, organised to mark the Urs of Mehboob Subhani Dargah, altered its course and entered Khadak Galli—an area not included in the pre-approved route. Locals in the area objected to the slogan raised by some in the procession. Verbal exchanges escalated, and stones were hurled before police intervened to restore order. No serious injuries were reported.
Belagavi Market Police filed a case naming ten individuals, and detained 11 persons for questioning. Officials are reviewing CCTV footage and video records to identify further participants. Police Commissioner Bhushan Borase and Deputy Commissioner Narayan Barmani personally visited the troubled zones to oversee investigations and public order operations.
Several community leaders warned that the incident exposed fragile religious fault lines in the city. A local Hindu resident said that disruption of the planned route and spontaneous sloganeering stoked fears of provocation. Another participant in the procession defended the act, stating that chants were intended as devotional, not incendiary, expressions.
Overnight, additional units of the Karnataka State Reserve Police were deployed across identified communal hotspots. Checkpoints and patrols intensified in Khadak Galli, Khade Bazaar and adjacent precincts. Police also urged shopkeepers and residents in sensitive areas to remain indoors and avoid assembling in large numbers.
In announcing the detentions, law enforcement emphasised that the procession organisers had sought and received permission to follow a specific path. The deviation, they say, violated conditions of approval. The case filed covers charges of unlawful assembly, unauthorised route change, and stone-pelting. Authorities expect more arrests as evidence is sifted and statements recorded.
The timing of the clash has raised political sensitivity, as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was slated to visit Belagavi for public events on Saturday. Security was already heightened in anticipation of his arrival. Opposition figures seized on the episode, accusing government machinery of lax oversight and alleging that political polarization is being stoked ahead of election cycles.
In the broader state context, senior BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai criticised the handling of law and order in Belagavi and cited it among multiple incidents that, he claimed, reflect growing unrest. The state’s leadership, in response, has pledged swift legal action and maintained that the peace will be restored without bias or communal tilt.
Community organisations across Karnataka called for calm and dialogue, urging both sides to avoid inflammatory rhetoric. Some Muslim groups expressed concern over portrayal of slogans as provocative, while Hindu community bodies demanded assurance of equal protection under law. Tensions remain palpable, as residents and authorities navigate the fragile balance between expression and public order.