Tensions between Karnataka and Maharashtra have spilled over into Vijaypur-Solapur borders as Shiv Sena youth members attacked a North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) bus driver on Monday (February 24), amidst the language spat between the two states.
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A mob of 15 to 20 people who were believed to be Shiv Sena (UBT) workers waylaid a NWKRTC bus at Sath Road and forced the driver to alight. They chanted pro-Maharashtra slogans and smeared saffron on the driver’s face, it was reported. The bus route was from Solapur to Ilkal.
The Sadar Bazar police station intervened and helped the bus resume its commute with its 35 passengers after a great struggle.
The beginning of the conflict
On Friday, 21 February in Belagavi, a minor girl and boy who were Marathi boarded the semi-urban CBT-Sulebhavi bus in Karnataka’s Belagavi district. The duo allegedly had a problem with the conductor, Mahadevappa Hukkeri, who requested them to speak in Kannada as he did not know Marathi, during the ticketing process.
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The duo seemingly took offense to this and the situation quickly turned hostile with them calling some accomplices who intercepted the bus at Balekundri and assaulted both the conductor and driver.
In a viral video posted on social media, it can be seen that around 20 people were a part of the mob that assaulted the bus conductor and driver, preventing them from finishing their commute route.
Arrests made
Following the attack, Marihal Police arrested three individuals – Balu Gojagekar, Maruti Turumuri and Rahul Naidu. The three were arrested, along with a minor and presented in court on Friday where they were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
DCP Rohan Jagdish made a visit to the injured bus conductor admitted at BIMS Hospital in Belagavi, assuring that a thorough investigation will take place.
Karnataka Transport Minister responds
The vicious mob attack left the conductor with internal injuries and he was hospitalised at the BIMS Hospital in Belagavi. Karnataka Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy, visited the hospital to check on the conductor, Mahadevappa Hukkeri, who had been undergoing treatment for three days since the attack.
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According to ANI, Minister Reddy said, “Not just the Karnataka Road Transport Department, but everyone stands with the bus conductor. The POCSO case filed against him is completely bogus.”
The POCSO case in question was filed by the minor girl who was a part of the duo who reportedly instigated the mob to attack the conductor over a language dispute. The girl alleged that the conductor had misbehaved with her.
Further incidents of inter-state violence
Right after the incident with the NWKRTC bus conductor and driver on February 21, on the same night a Marathi bus conductor, Bhaskar Jadav, on a bus travelling from Bangalore to Mumbai was allegedly assaulted and his face was blackened for not speaking Kannada. The assault happened on the route when the bus halted 2 km behind Chitradurga
Workers of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena staged a protest on Saturday in Pune’s Swargate area, where they attempted to spray black paint on buses with Karnataka license number plates.
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However, DCP Smartana Patil told ANI that once they got to know about the Shiv Sena (UBT) workers’ protest they swiftly dispatched police personnel to the spot and detained four to five of the protesters, adding that others will be recognised through video recordings taken at the protest.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) workers were able to blacken only one bus and not much damage was done, according to DCP Patil.
Bus services halted on both ends
Bus services between Belagavi and Maharashtra have been halted since Saturday, 22 February after the incident on Friday in Belagavi where Marathi commuters assaulted a NWKRTC bus conductor and driver for allegedly not speaking Marathi. Bus services have still been halted as tensions are still high in the region.
Belagavi’s divisional controller, Rajesh Potdar, said that the transport buses from the state of Karnataka to Maharashtra have been halted due to the ‘volatile’ situation. The Belagavi division operates around 120 buses that commute daily from Nippani, Chikkodi and Athani. These buses have suspended services to Maharashtra since Saturday afternoon.
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After the protests by the Shiv Sena (UBT) workers, MSRTC suspended bus operations from Kolhapur to Karnataka. The CPRO of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), Abhijit Bhosale 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.”