Protest by advocates hits traffic on highway in Karnataka

BELAGAVI: Demanding that the Legislature pass the Advocates Protection Bill, a large number of advocates staged a protest in front of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi on Tuesday.

The advocates blocked the busy Pune-Bengaluru National Highway for several hours and also attempted to picket the soudha when the police tried to stop them from blocking the highway. The traffic on the busy national highway came to a grinding halt and vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road for several km after 2.30 pm. Several groups of agitating advocates removed the barricades placed near the soudha and tried to gherao it.

Several of them indulged in a verbal duel with the Belagavi Police Commissioner when he tried to pacify them.

Tension prevailed near the entrance of the soudha when some advocates climbed the gates and raised slogans against Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy.

The minister met the advocates later and asked them to withdraw their agitation, assuring them of taking measures to fulfil their demands. However, the advocates were unrelenting and intensified their protest. Later, Revenue Minister R Ashoka met the protesters and was able to take them into confidence.

Ashoka said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has agreed to pass the Advocates Protection Bill in the larger interest of advocates and urged the advocates to withdraw their agitation. After several hours, the advocates finally decided to call off the protest.