Maharashtra suspended the operation of state transport buses from Kolhapur district to Karnataka, alleging that a bus driver was assaulted by pro-Kannada activists, news agency PTI reported on Saturday.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik alleged that a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus, plying from Bengaluru to Mumbai, was attacked in Karnataka's Chitradurga on Friday.
Sarnaik also claimed that driver Bhaskar Jadhav was assaulted, and his face was blackened. He said the bus services will remain suspended till the Congress-ruled Karnataka government to clear its stance on the issue.
Abhijit Bhosale, CPRO of MSRTC, said, “As per the directions of Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, ST buses going from Kolhapur to Karnataka state have been cancelled for an indefinite period for the safety of passengers and employees travelling in Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses.”
Language row escalates
The incident comes after four people were arrested in Karnataka's Belagavi district for allegedly assaulting a conductor, Mahadevappa Mallappa Hukkeri, of the state-owned transport corporation bus for not replying to a passenger in Marathi.
Hukkeri was also booked under the POCSO act for allegedly using derogatory remarks against a 14-year-old Marathi girl. He was admitted to the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences for medical attention to his minor injuries, police said.
Explaining his version of the incident, Hukkeri said he asked the girl, who boarded his bus with her male friend, 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 on my head and all over the body,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Explaining his version of the incident, Hukkeri said he asked the girl, who boarded his bus with her male friend, 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 on my head and all over the body,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Belagavi Police Commissioner Iada Martin Marbaniang said a case was registered based on a complaint from Marathi activists that the conductor misbehaved with the girl.
The official also explained that the incident could become a potential flashpoint as the border district has seen historical tensions due to competing territorial claims by the two states over the district.
Pro-Kannada activists staged a protest in front of Marihal police station condemning the alleged attack on the conductor and termed the case registered against him as false.
“The issue can be handled by doing an investigation. There is nothing to be concerned about. Peace should be maintained by everyone,” said the Commissioner.