Bengaluru, 1 July

Members of a pro-Kannada outfit allegedly vandalised a Hindi signboard at BEL Circle here while protesting against what they termed the "imposition of Hindi", following which an FIR was registered against them, police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening, they said.

The signboard, located on a public road outside the Bharat Electronics Limited campus, had allegedly been installed without authorisation, the activists claimed.

According to the police, members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike dismantled the signboard during the protest and asserted that they would continue to oppose "attempts to promote" Hindi in the state.

Police later intervened and brought the situation under control.

"We have taken action and registered a case against the protesters under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for rioting, destruction of public property, and other offences. Further investigation is underway," a senior police officer said.