Pune, Jan. 21 : Agitated over an attack on Marathi speaking people in Karnataka, Shiv Sena activists stopped the screening of a Kannada film here on Wednesday.

They also damaged the property of the Ratan Chitra Mandir, which was screening the film.

Tension first surfaced on January 16, during the Karnataka Assembly session in Belgaum, which borders Maharashtra. The BJP Government banned a parallel legislature assembly session by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES), which led to a war of words between leaders of both states.

The dispute took a turn for the worse after Karnataka police caned Marathi-speaking people in Belgaum on January 18. In retaliation, Marathi speaking protestors set three buses belonging to Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) on fire.

The protestors said they were demonstrating against the atrocities being committed on Marathi speaking people in Karnataka.

"We have stopped the screening of a Kannada film here and we will not allow the screening of any other Kannada film in future because of the damage that has been inflicted to the dignity of Marathi people," said Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena District president Ajay Shinde.

Last year, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), unleashed a similar campaign against north Indians, especially on people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.(ANI)