Karnataka Rakshana Vedike leaders and workers held a protest in Belagavi over ongoing disputes between pro-Kannada and pro-Marathi groups. The police detained Karnataka Rakshana Vedike leader Praveen Shetty at the protest site to prevent any law-and-order situation. The unrest escalated after a KSRTC bus conductor was beaten up in Belagavi on February 21 for allegedly not speaking in Marathi.