Two Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti leaders arrested in Belagavi

Two leaders of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) were arrested in Belagavi on October 22, 2026, according to the Belagavi Police. Shubham Shelke, the youth wing leader of MES, and Manohar Hundri were taken into custody by officers from the Khadebazar police station in connection with a case filed in January 2025. The charges against the two individuals stem from allegations of using abusive language against Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) communities during a MES rally in January 2025.

The case was registered by Raju Talwar, a leader of the Walmiki Yuvaka Sangha, who claimed that the two leaders used derogatory language against certain SC/ST communities during the rally.

Both Shelke and Hundri were arrested after failing to appear before the police despite receiving notices to do so, police officials stated. The two leaders were produced in court and remanded to judicial custody until November 4. They were subsequently transferred to the Hindalga Central Prison.

Shelke expressed his condemnation of the arrest, alleging that he and Hundri were taken into custody without prior notice, which he believed was an attempt to prevent the 'Black Day' observance planned by MES for November 1, coinciding with Karnataka Rajyotsava. The MES leader claimed that his arrest was politically motivated and that he and his fellow leaders were being targeted for their efforts to protect the rights of the Marathi-speaking community.