Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Saturday ordered the suspension of the state transport buses to Karnataka after an MSRTC bus was attacked in the neighbouring state.
Mr Sarnaik said the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus, which was travelling from Bengaluru to Mumbai, was attacked in Chitradurga around 9.10 pm on Friday by pro-Kannada activists.
They also blackened the face of driver Bhaskar Jadhav and assaulted him, the minister said.
A police case has been registered in Karnataka in connection with the alleged attack.
“Bus services to Karnataka won’t be resumed unless the Karnataka government makes its stand clear on the issue,” he said.
On the same day, a conductor of the state-owned transport corporation bus of Karnataka was allegedly assaulted on the outskirts of the district headquarters town of Belagavi bordering Maharashtra, for not replying to a girl in Marathi.
It is unclear whether the attack on the MSRTC bus in Chitradurga was in retaliation to the alleged assault on the conductor.
Mr Sarnaik said the MSRTC bus (MH-14 KQ 7714) had barely crossed Chitradurga when pro-Kannada activists attacked the vehicle.
Four people have been arrested in another case for allegedly assaulting the conductor in Belagavi, the police said. The conductor has also been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, they said.
With tears in his eyes, the 51-year-old conductor, Mahadevappa Mallappa Hukkeri, on Friday told reporters that a girl who boarded the bus with her male friend at Sulebhavi village spoke in Marathi. Hukkeri said he told her that he did not know Marathi and 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 on my head and all over the body,” the conductor said.
The injured bus conductor was admitted to the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences, police said, adding he got minor injuries and was out of danger.
“A case was registered and we have arrested four people in connection with the assault on the conductor and based on a counter complaint lodged by the girl, who is 14 years old, a case was registered against the conductor under POCSO for allegedly using derogatory remarks against her,” a senior police officer said.
“No arrest has been made yet in connection with the POCSO case. We need to investigate and look into the allegations and accordingly, further action will be taken,” he said.
Speaking to reporters, Belagavi Police Commissioner Iada Martin Marbaniang said, four accused have been arrested in connection with assault on the conductor. Three teams led by as many inspectors have been formed to arrest the other accused who are on the run.
“All those involved in the incident will be arrested soon,” he said.
A counter case has come from the opposite side, accusing the conductor of misbehaving with the girl. A case was registered on Friday night in this regard, he said.
“We are doing the investigation and we will see what is the truth. Accordingly, we will take action as per law….during the investigation we will get statements from other passengers on the bus. We will be very neutral,” he said.
Pointing out that the region has been witnessing tension because of the border issue for long and this incident may trigger a problem, the Commissioner said in response to a question. He also said that he had spoken to the neighbouring district’s SP to ensure law and order.
“The issue can be handled through an investigation. There is nothing to be concerned about it. Peace must be maintained by everyone,” he added.
Following the incident, pro-Kannada activists staged a protest on Saturday by blocking the Belagavi-Bagalkote road and burning effigies. They were whisked away in a police van.
Similarly, activists staged a protest in front of Marihal police station condemning the alleged attack on the conductor and terming the case registered against him as false. They were also taken away from the spot by the police.
Belagavi has a substantial Marathi-speaking population and a section among them have been demanding the merger of the district with Maharashtra, which is stoutly opposed by the state as well as the Kannada populace residing there.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)