8 Injured in Clash During Kara Hunnime Bull Procession in Karnataka's Haveri

The incident occurred at Naregal village in Hangal taluk on Monday, they said.

Following the clash, tension prevailed in the village for some time before police brought the situation under control, officials said.

Kara Hunnime is a traditional agricultural festival celebrated mainly in North Karnataka on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Jyeshtha.

Additional police personnel have been deployed, with officials clarifying that the incident began as a quarrel between two individuals and later escalated into a clash, and denying any communal angle to the incident.

According to police, bull calves decorated for the Kara Hunnime (full moon day) festival were being taken out on procession when crackers were burst near a mosque, leading to an argument between two persons.

The verbal altercation soon escalated into a physical fight, during which sharp weapons were allegedly used, leaving eight people injured.

The injured are undergoing treatment at a hospital "We have registered a case in connection with the clash and the situation is under control," a senior police officer said.

Police said CCTV footage from cameras installed in the vicinity, along with mobile phone videos, is being collected to ascertain the exact sequence of events and how the incident unfolded.

Taking to social media platform 'X', senior BJP leader R Ashoka alleged that ever since the Congress government came to power, people of Karnataka are increasingly asking why Hindu festivals and traditions are repeatedly being targeted.

He targeted Home Minister Priyank Kharge, asking him to open his eyes and see where their "politics of appeasement" has led the state, alleging that even Kara Hunnime, a festival that is part of Karnataka's proud agrarian tradition, has come under attack.

Condemning the incident, the leader of opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly said that according to long-standing tradition, farmers burst firecrackers while taking out their decorated bulls during Kara Hunnime.

"It is alleged that, for this reason alone, religious extremists brutally attacked the farmers," Ashoka said.

He claimed that this incident reflects the deterioration of law and order in the state.

Ashoka urged Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to ensure the immediate arrest of every accused involved in the Naregal village incident, initiate strict legal action against them, and send a clear message that such incidents will not be tolerated in the future.

He also urged that the government should bear the medical expenses of the injured farmers.