Hubbali: He is a convicted thief, but that is not stopping him from supporting the police in their strike across the state. Basavaraj Belagudri, 48, popularly known as Sigli Bashya, sat on a tree the whole day in Haveri on Tuesday to express his support for the agitating policemen.
In the past he has sat on trees or on mobile towers to protest police action against him. Explaining his strange turnaround, he said, ”Although I have protested against the atrocities of the policemen, I also sympathise with them as their rights are being curtailed and they are being used for doing household work of senior police officials."
Currently out on bail, he claims he is a reformed man and wants to serve society.Well acquainted with the law, he has argued his own case before the courts, winning acquittals in over 120 cases of burglary he was arrested for.
In all he has been accused of 250 robberies in various police stations of Haveri, Gadag, Dharwad, Davangere, Shimoga and Uttar Kannada districts. His luck ran out when the Haveri district and session court awarded him a two-year sentence for five robberies.
From Sigli village in Shirahatti taluk of Gadag district, this thief with a cause has a wife and three children. Having studied upto class IX, he now dreams of entering politics one day. Some would say there couldn’t be a better choice of profession for him!
