Sena minister says barred from entering Belgaum by K'taka cops

Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Diwakar Raote today claimed the Karnataka police stopped him from entering Belgaum district, where he wanted to take part in a protest organised by Marathi-speaking people.

Belgaum, which has a large Marathi-speaking population, has been the bone of contention between the two states since long.

There are more than 850 villages spread across Belgaum, Karwar, Bidar and Gulberga districts in Karnataka over which Maharashtra has been staking claim for the past six decades on linguistic grounds.

"Myself along with an MLA and other Sena leaders were stopped at the border of Belgaum by police and served a notice to not enter the area for three days. I had gone there as a representative of the Maharashtra government and not as a Sena leader," Raote told

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)