Mangaluru: An FIR has been registered at the Ullal police station in Dakshina Kannada district in connection with the gherao of Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker and Ullal MLA UT Khader during a public programme linked to the ongoing Koragajja Circle controversy.
According to police, the complaint was filed by Khader’s personal security officer Mohammad Yasin, based on which a case has been registered against 10 individuals, including Junaid, a resident of Madaninagar.
The incident occurred during a programme in Ullal, where a group of youths allegedly surrounded Khader and engaged in a heated argument over the proposed development of a traffic circle in Kuttaru, commonly referred to as the Koragajja Circle issue.
The dispute centres around the construction of a road circle being undertaken by a private medical college in Mangaluru, with the government assigning maintenance responsibility to the institution. However, the project has triggered strong local opposition over the naming and design of the circle.
Kuttaru is considered a significant religious and cultural site in Tulu Nadu, believed by many devotees to be associated with the deity Koragajja. Hindu organisations have earlier placed symbolic representations of the deity at the site and have proposed naming the new circle after Koragajja.
This proposal, however, has sparked objections from sections of the local community, with debates emerging over both the naming of the circle and concerns regarding the design of the structure and possible traffic congestion. The issue has gained traction on social media, intensifying public discourse.
Amid the controversy, Speaker UT Khader responded sharply to critics, stating that some individuals opposing the project were “misguided” and acting under external influence. He further said that those raising objections on social media were not local residents of Madaninagar but belonged to other organisations from outside the area.
“Whatever is happening there will happen for the good,” Khader remarked, adding that he would not be influenced by such criticism.
Police have confirmed that the situation is under investigation and further legal proceedings will follow based on statements and evidence collected from the incident site.
The case has added a new dimension to the already sensitive Koragajja Circle dispute, which continues to generate political and social debate in coastal Karnataka.
