Express News Service By

BELGAUM: The recent removal of the controversial ‘Maharashtra Rajya’ sign board at Yellur village in Karnataka continued to have its after-effects on Sunday.

Police stopped a group of Maharashtra politicians, led by Kolhapur District Minister Hassan Mushraff, from entering Karnataka, while two people were injured when miscreants pelted stones at state-owned buses in Belgaum city.

The name board of the district office of Shiv Sena in the city was removed by the police following information that pro-Kannada activists were planning to attack it in retaliation for burning of a Kannada flag in Maharashtra last week.

Traffic on the busy Pune-Bangalore national highway was disrupted for a while when political leaders attempted to enter Karnataka.

The group, including MP Dhananjay Madik, MLAs Sandyadevi Kuppekar and Vidyatayi Chavan, former MLA Nivedita Mane and K P Patil, apart from the minister, tried to enter the state through Koganolli check-post.

They argued with the police of both the states who tried to convince them against going ahead.

When Karnataka police warned them of arrests, they returned raising slogans against Karnataka.

Police quoted the group as saying that it was going to Belgaum to ensure “justice” to Marathis. They also protested the removal of the Maharashtra Rajya board at Yellur.

Meanwhile, the police tightened security in the border areas.

They examined the documents of vehicles coming from Maharashtra and Goa. Vehicles entering Karnataka via Bagalkot and Karwar were also checked. Police were on vigil at Hindalaga, Athani, Chikkodi, Raibag, Ramnagar and Khanapur check-posts.

As Shiv Sena MLAs were expected to visit Yellur, prohibitory orders under the section 144 of the CrPC were clamped at the village.

The police also got lists of passengers at Sambra airport upon their flights from Bangalore and Mumbai.