BELAGAVI, 11 MARCH

A gram panchayat secretary in Karnataka, Nagappa Kodli, was brutally assaulted on Monday evening for refusing to provide official documents in Marathi. The attack, which involved iron rods and sticks, occurred in Sulebhavi village while Kodli was riding his two-wheeler. He reported to the Belagavi rural police that he was confronted by a group led by Vikram Yellurkar, the son of local politician Chetan Patil, who demanded the documents in Marathi. Kodli explained that he could not comply with their demand due to government regulations. Fortunately, nearby farmers intervened and rescued him from the assault.

The police noted that Chetan Patil is the district convenor of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), a pro-Maharashtrian organisation, while Yellurkar's mother serves as the president of the Ambewadi gram panchayat. Kodli has been under fire recently for deploying over 350 workers under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Scheme, which Patil and Yellurkar opposed, wanting the contract for the project themselves—an arrangement not permitted by the guidelines.

This incident follows a similar attack on government bus driver Mahadev Hukkeri last month, who also faced violence for failing to speak in Marathi. The rise in such incidents has sparked protests among Kannada organisations, leading to a Karnataka-wide bandh call scheduled for 22 March.