Interstate bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra remained suspended for the second day in a row on Sunday as protests continued over the ongoing dispute over language in the border district of Belagavi.
Belagavi divisional controller Rajesh Potdar said that Karnataka state transport buses to Maharashtra have been halted due to the “volatile situation”. The Belagavi division –– which operates around 120 buses daily from Nippani, Chikkodi, and Athani –– have suspended services to the neighbouring state since Saturday afternoon.
“To minimize inconvenience for passengers, we are operating buses only up to the state border,” he said. “From there, commuters are boarding Maharashtra state buses to continue their journey.”
Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik ordered the suspension of state transport buses to Karnataka on Saturday. The move came hours after a bus driver of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), identified as Bhaskar Jadhav, was allegedly attacked and his face was blackened by miscreants.
Almost all private bus operations between the two states as well as the neighbouring ones have come to a halt over fears of the tensions simmering in the border areas of both states,” Mumbai Bus Malak Sangathana vice chairman Mumbai Bus Malak Sangathana said. Around 250 MSRTC and 500 private bus services operating between the two states have been stopped.
{{/usCountry}}Almost all private bus operations between the two states as well as the neighbouring ones have come to a halt over fears of the tensions simmering in the border areas of both states,” Mumbai Bus Malak Sangathana vice chairman Mumbai Bus Malak Sangathana said. Around 250 MSRTC and 500 private bus services operating between the two states have been stopped.
{{/usCountry}}Both state governments are assessing the law and order situation before deciding on resuming public transportation services. “Over the next few days, the status quo will be maintained prior to deciding on resumption of services,” a senior official in the Maharashtra government said on condition of anonymity.
The row stems from a dispute over language that took place in Belagavi on Friday when a bus conductor, identified as Mahadevappa Mallappa Hukkeri (51), was allegedly assaulted for not speaking Marathi.
The conductor alleged that a 17-year-old girl, who boarded the state-owned transport corporation bus with her male friend at Sulebhavi village, abused him when he asked her to speak in Kannada. “When I said I don’t know Marathi, the girl abused me saying that I must learn Marathi. Suddenly a large number of people gathered and assaulted me,” the conductor told reporters on Saturday.
The minor along with three others, including her friend, were apprehended on Friday night, police said, adding that another person was arrested in connection with the case on Sunday.
The apprehended minor also filed a counter-complaint at Marihal police station accusing the bus conductor of misbehaving with her. Hukkeri, currently recovering at Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS), dismissed the charges against him under the Protection of children from sexual offences (Pocso) Act, saying, “If I am guilty, let me be hanged, but I believe the truth will prevail.”
On Saturday night, protests erupted outside Marihal police station with demonstrators, led by pro-Kannada organization Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), demanding the withdrawal of charges against Hukkeri.
“The bus was crowded—how could he have misbehaved?” KRV district president Deepak Gudaganatti said as he questioned the validity of the complaint. “The girl, possibly under pressure, filed the case to shield herself from legal trouble.” He also urged authorities to gather statements from all passengers on the bus before taking action against the conductor.
Karnataka transport minister Ramalinga Reddy also termed the allegations against the bus conductor as “baseless” as he called for action against those intensifying the dispute.
“Following the incident, a POCSO case was lodged against the conductor. This is a completely baseless allegation,” he said in Bengaluru on Sunday. “Those trying to stir unrest over land, water, and language issues should be expelled from the state.”
Reddy said he discussed the issue with Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara, Belagavi police commissioner, superintendent of police,and KSRTC managing director B Anbukumar. “The Pocso complaint holds no merit and should not be taken seriously. I will ensure no disciplinary action is taken against the conductor. Support from local organizations will boost his morale,” he added.
The incident and the subsequent arrests has led to more protests in Maharashtra, with members of the Shiv Sena (UBT) attaching saffron flags to Karnataka state-owned buses stationed at bus stands in Kolhapur and Nashik districts on Sunday. Party workers also staged a protest in Swargate area of Pune district on Saturday night, as they defaced buses with Karnataka number plates with black spray paint.
In retaliation, KRV activists painted a Maharashtra state-owned bus in black and hoisted a Kannada flag in Athani, a border town in Karnataka.
“In Chitradurga, Kannada flags were placed on Maharashtra RTC buses, while in Maharashtra, our buses are blackened,” Reddy said as he pointed out recent language-related tensions in the border regions of the two states. “Such actions must not be tolerated, and those responsible should be removed.”
Leaders from the Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT) in Maharashtra and pro-Maharashtra outfits such as the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) have rallied in support of the accused, saying allegations against the arrested individuals were “politically motivated”.
MES Belagavi president Ramakant Konduskar said the Marathi population in the border district were being “intentionally tortured” with such false allegations. “Pro-Maharashtrians Karnataka will not tolerate such atrocities against our people in the state,” he said.
With inputs from Ateeq Shaikh