Clashes broke out between members of the Lingayat and Veerashaiva communities in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi city on Monday, hours after the Siddaramaiah government announced it will recommend that the Lingayats be classified as a separate religious group.
Soon after members of the Lingayat community reached the Patel Circle area in Kalaburagi to celebrate the government’s decision, while Veerashaiva members arrived to protest against the move.
The Veerashaiva protestors allegedly threatened to hit the Lingayats with slippers. This led to an altercation between MS Patil Naribol, the leader of the Veerashaiva demonstrators, and the Lingayats, local new channel Public TV reported.
Members of the Veerashaiva community also burned posters of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and ministers MB Patil, Vinay Kulkarni and Basavaraj Horatti.
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