Members of some organisations took out a protest rally in Belagavi on Friday against the alleged neglect by the government of Amatoor Balappa, a warrior who fought the British in the army of Kittur Rani Channamma.
Members of the Veera Kesari Amatoor Balappa Yuva Sene and the Samasta Hanabara Yadava Samaj Sanghagala Okkoota took out the rally to the Deputy Commissioner’s office and shouted slogans against the government.
They said that Amatoor Balappa had fought along side Rani Channamma who repulsed the British attack on the Kittur Fort in the 19th century. He was as great a warrior as Rani Channamma and Sangolli Rayanna. However, due to political reasons, successive governments have neglected the contribution of Amatoor Balappa. There is not a single memorial in his native village of Amatoor or Kittur or Belagavi.
There are no lessons on his life in school textbooks. This is unacceptable, they said.
They demanded that a statue of Amatoor Balappa be put up in Belagavi and a prominent traffic circle be named after him in the city. They also demanded that the State government form a development corporation for Hanabar, Yadav, Golla and other synonymous communities.
Basavaraj Hammanavar, Ramesh Yaragannanavar, Nagaraj Hanabar, Satish Topai, Yallappa Kotagi, Kiran Singai and others led the protest.