Border row with Maharashtra: Karnataka Home Minister urges restraint

NT Correspondent

Belagavi: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday urged restraint in the wake of the resurfacing of the border row with neighbouring Maharashtra over the Belagavi conductor assault episode and said neither sides should precipitate the matter further. Meanwhile, state Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy met the bus conductor Mahadevappa Hukkeri, who was allegedly assaulted in Belagavi for not speaking in Marathi to a passenger, and expressed his support. The attack on the bus conductor has once again reignited the decades-old border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka.

There have been attacks on bus drivers and conductors of the state road transport corporations of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Belagavi has a substantial Marathi population and a section among them often demands that this border district be merged with Maharashtra. Speaking to reporters in Tumakuru, Home Minister Parameshwara urged the Maharashtra government to take action against those involved in such incidents. "Often disputes take place on linguistic basis in Belagavi at the Maharashtra border. We have to tread with care. This applies to both Maharashtra and Karnataka because we should not allow this to grow further," he said.

Parameshwara emphasised that Karnataka takes immediate police action in such cases and urged Maharashtra to do the same. Meanwhile, Ramaling Reddy stated that his department and the people of the state stand by Hukkeri. The incident occurred in Balekundri here on Friday. According to Hukkeri, a minor girl boarded his bus along with a male friend and when he asked them to buy tickets, her friend replied in Marathi. Upon informing them that he did not understand Marathi and asked them to respond in Kannada, the boy immediately called his friends and attacked him and the driver, Hukkeri told police. Based on his complaint, five people have been arrested.

The girl, who is a minor, also lodged a police complaint alleging that Hukkeri behaved with her indecently and he has been booked under the POCSO Act. "There were 90 people in the bus. Everyone is saying that the POCSO case has been registered intentionally against the conductor. We all, including the local leaders, citizens, media and the people of the state are with Mahadevappa," Reddy told reporters after meeting the conductor in a local hospital. The Minister expressed dissatisfaction over the police action in the case. "After coming here (Belagavi) I came to know that at least 15 people were involved in the attack on Hukkeri but only five have been arrested. The others should also be arrested.

If we let them go scotfree then they will continue to indulge in such activities," Reddy said. Karnataka Woman and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, who is from Belagavi, said the matter of POCSO case registered against the conductor was under investigation and truth would come out soon. She, however, noted that there were 90 people travelling in the bus and everyone was witness to what had happened there. The Minister underlined the need to behave in a matured way. "Karnataka and Maharashtra are part of India. I saw people from Maharashtra attacking our buses and staff. This should stop. We should know who our enemies are and avoid fighting amongst ourselves." The BJP state president BY Vijayendra said these incidents show the deteriorating law and order situation in both Karnataka and Maharashtra.

"Kannadigas are not cowards. We too have the strength to do much more than what they do but it is not proper to conspire such activities for vested interest. Governments of both Karnataka and Maharashtra should bring this under control," he told reporters in Mysuru.