Belagavi, May 13 -- The Belagavi police on Monday launched a search for unknown persons after a religious book was found partially burnt near a mosque in Santibasthawad village, around 10 kilometres from the city.

Belagavi police commissioner Iada Martin Marbanian said that the elders from the mosque in Santibasthawad on Monday found the burnt pages of Quran in an agricultural field adjacent to their place of worship. "After the incident, several people from various mosques in Belagavi taluk held protests in their respective places," he said.

He further said that the protestors, mainly from Santibasthawad, Peeranwadi, Machche and nearby areas, attempted to march into Belagavi city to submit a memorandum to the district administration. H...