Villagers protest after administration brings down Shivaji idol in Belgavi

Belagavi (Karnataka) [India], August 9 : Villagers continued their protests on Sunday after the Belgavi district authorities brought down a Shivaji idol in Managutti village on Friday night as it did not have the necessary permission.
According to Laxman Nimbargi, Superintendent of Police of Belgavi, a meeting was held with village leaders and it was decided that the statue would be re-erected after the proper legal procedure was followed.
"Misinformation is being spread on social media that the statue was taken down due to external pressure by some organisation. This is completely false. Strict action will be taken against those responsible for sending these messages," he said.
Visuals from the site showed a large number of people gathered in a village shouting slogans demanding the erection of the idol, while police personnel tried to subdue and disperse the crowd.