Date:21/12/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/12/21/stories/2005122102920300.htm

Karnataka - Belgaum

Activists avert crisis in Belgaum

Staff Correspondent

`Kannada flag' taken away by miscreants; Pro-Kannada group re-installs flag

Belgaum: Sensible action on the part of a group of Kannada activists averted a possible crisis in the city on Monday. Some miscreants had allegedly broken the flag post of the "Kannada flag" hoisted in front of the office of the Development Commissioner for Northern Karnataka on Sunday night.

The miscreants had carried the flag with them leaving behind the broken piece of the bar.

A few Kannada activists, led by K.D. Deshpande, Vijay Shetty, Raju Topannavar, Srinivas Tallurkar, Sunil Muchgi, Raj Chikkangouda and Ganesh gathered at the spot late on Monday night and informed the Superintendent of Police about the mischief and their intentions to put up new flag at the same spot.

Re-installed

Soon, one of them rushed and brought a steel bar, another went and brought a new flag.

By that time, other workers brought cement, sand and concrete. Within half-an-hour, the workers re-installed the flag.