Workers from Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena on Saturday night staged a protest in Pune's Swargate area and blackened buses with Karnataka number plates, an act which followed the assault of Marathi-speaking bus driver in the southern state's Chitradurga area.
The driver, Bhaskar Jadhav, was allegedly assaulted and his face was blackened for not speaking Kannada.
DCP Smartana Patil told news agency ANI that as soon as they got to know about Sena (UBT) workers' intent to protest at Swargate, a force was immediately dispatched at the spot. "They were successful in spraying black colour on one bus. Not much damage has been done," Patil added.
"The accused have been detained by the police, and legal action will follow... 4-5 people have been detained, but others will be identified soon on the basis of video recordings," she added.
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Police officials however said that action will be taken against those responsible.
{{/usCountry}}Police officials however said that action will be taken against those responsible.
{{/usCountry}}Jadhav's assault took place on the Maharashtra state transport's bus travelling from Bangalore to Mumbai on the night of February 21, when the bus halted two kilometres behind Chitradurga.
Activists from a Karnataka-based organization allegedly stopped the bus and attacked it, assaulting the driver on duty, Maharashtra state road transport corporation (MSRTC) said.
Meanwhile, MSRTC suspended the operation of its buses from Kolhapur to Karnataka. "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," said Abhijit Bhosale, CPRO of MSRTC.
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Minister Sarnaik said that the services will remain suspended till the Congress-led government of Karnataka gives a clear stance on the matter.
He also spoke to the assaulted driver the phone, giving him reassurance that he is "not alone in this matter". He said that the NDA government in Maharashtra stands firmly behind Jadhav.
Notably, Jadhav's assault comes just after four people were arrested in Karnataka's Belagavi for allegedly assaulting a conductor, Mahadevappa Mallappa Hukkeri, of the state-owned transport corporation bus for not responding to a passenger in Marathi.
Hukkeri was reportedly admitted to the Belagavi Insitute of Medical Sciences for medical attention to his minor injuries.
Linguistic tensions persist in the border regions in Karnataka, where a large crowd of Marathi and Kannada speakers often clash over language rights.
(with ANI inputs)