A group of Kannada activists hurriedly installed the statue after midnight on Friday.
Tension prevailed in Peeranwadi on Friday morning as several people from pro-Marathi groups gathered, objecting to the installation of Rayanna’s statue.
Marathi-speaking people said that they were not opposing the installation of Krantiveer Sangolli Rayanna’s statue, but they had objections to the location wherein the statue has been installed and that too during the night.
Already there is a statue of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and it is not good to have two statues like this.
Already a piece of land has been allocated for them we both Marathi and Kannada loving people will together install this state of the great freedom fighter.
The police had to resort to a mild lathi-charge to control the two groups which gathered at the same spot at Peeranwadi.