Belgavi, 26 Dec

Karnataka MPs have decided to extend support to Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Roshan after a breach of privilege complaint was filed against him by Maharashtra MP Dhairyasheel Mane.

State Minister Satish Jarkiholi said all 28 MPs from Karnataka would write to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him not to admit the complaint.

The Deputy Commissioner was right as he imposed a ban on Mane to maintain law and order, he said, adding that "We stand by Roshan in this case.”

Belagavi BJP MP Jagadish Shettar also defended the district administration, stating that the action was situation-specific and did not amount to a breach of privilege.

“All MPs from the State will place facts before the Speaker. We will meet him soon under the leadership of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi,” he said.

Mane, who represents Hatkanangale in Maharashtra, alleged that he was unlawfully prevented from entering Belagavi district on 1 November during the observance of a ‘Black Day’ by pro-Maharashtra groups.

In his complaint to the Speaker, Mane claimed that as an MP, he has the right to travel freely across the country and that the district administration violated his constitutional rights.

The restriction was imposed on Karnataka Rajyotsava day, which coincides with the annual ‘Black Day’ observed by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) and Marathi-speaking residents. The day is marked to protest the inclusion of Belagavi in Karnataka following the linguistic reorganisation of States in 1956.