New Delhi: Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Saturday ordered the suspension of state transport bus services to Karnataka after an MSRTC bus was attacked in Chitradurga. The incident occurred around 9:10 pm on Friday when pro-Kannada activists targeted the bus travelling from Bengaluru to Mumbai, blackened the face of driver Bhaskar Jadhav and assaulted him, Sarnaik said. A police case has been filed in Karnataka regarding the attack, and Sarnaik said that services would not resume until the Karnataka government clarified its stance.
The incident followed another case earlier that day, where a Karnataka transport bus conductor, Mahadevappa Mallappa Hukkeri, was allegedly assaulted near Belagavi for not replying to a girl in Marathi. The 51-year-old conductor, speaking with tears in his eyes, said a girl who boarded the bus at Sulebhavi village spoke in Marathi, and when he asked her to speak in Kannada, she abused him. Soon after, a mob gathered and assaulted him.
Conductor faces POCSO
Hukkeri sustained minor injuries and was admitted to the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences. After the incident, police arrested four people for the assault. However, based on a counter-complaint by the 14-year-old girl, the conductor was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for allegedly using derogatory remarks.
Belagavi Police Commissioner Iada Martin Marbaniang confirmed the arrests and said three police teams were working to nab other suspects. He assured that the investigation would be impartial, with statements from other passengers being recorded.
Protests erupt in Belagavi
The incident sparked protests by pro-Kannada activists, who blocked the Belagavi-Bagalkote road and burned effigies. At the same time, another group protested outside the Marihal police station, alleging that the POCSO case against the conductor was false.
Belagavi, with a significant Marathi-speaking population, has long been a flashpoint due to the border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka. Authorities have urged calm, saying that peace must be maintained while investigations continue.
