When Is Karnataka Bandh? March 22 Or 23 - Find Out

The pro-Kannada groups have called for a state-wide bandh in Karnataka on March 22 in protest against the assault on a state-run bus conductor for not speaking Marathi in the border district of Belagavi.

Kannada activist and 'Kannada Okkuta' leader Vattal Nagaraj has called for the bandh. "On March 22, from 6 am to 6 pm, there will be a bandh across Karnataka... those who will support the shutdown or not, we will see later. This bandh is for this state, for Kannada, Kannadigas and Karnataka. This is for the pride of Kannada and Karnataka," PTI quoted Nagaraj as saying.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Vatal Nagaraj appealed to all organisations to extend their support to the bandh. He also urged Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy to suspend all state-run bus services between 6 am and 6 pm.

Border Dispute

The border dispute traces back to 1957 when states were reorganized based on linguistic lines. Maharashtra claims Belagavi, which has a significant Marathi-speaking population and was part of the former Bombay Presidency. Karnataka, however, maintains that the borders set by the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report are final.

To reinforce Belagavi's status as part of Karnataka, the state constructed the 'Suvarna Vidhana Soudha' there, modeled after the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, which houses the State Legislature and Secretariat.

Nagaraj claimed that the groups have already got support from malls already and requested the hotel owners association and film industry to support the state-wide shutdown.

Will Hotels, Malls, Film Industry Extend Support?

Nagaraj has said that several malls have already pledged their support for the cause. He has also called on government employees, labor unions, farmer associations, lorry owners, taxi drivers, and private schools to join in supporting the agitation.

The Kannada Okkuta plans to stage a protest by laying siege to Raj Bhavan starting at 11:30 am on March 3, demanding action to 'Save Belagavi'. Additionally, a procession titled 'Belagavi Chalo' is scheduled for March 7 in Belagavi.

The group is also pushing for the implementation of the Mekedatu project across the Cauvery River and has called for a bandh (shutdown) in Attibele, near the Tamil Nadu border, on March 11. Further protests are planned in front of the Deputy Commissioner's offices in Mandya, Mysuru, and Ramanagara on March 14. On March 16, traffic will be halted on Old Madras Road near Hoskote, and on March 18, all pro-Kannada organizations will convene for a meeting in Bengaluru.

The agitation follows an incident where a state-run bus conductor was allegedly assaulted by a group of Marathi-speaking youths for not speaking in Marathi. This occurred last week on a bus traveling from Belagavi city to Balekundri. In response, interstate bus services between Maharashtra and Karnataka were suspended, exacerbating the long-standing border and language dispute between the two states.