K'taka-Maha bus services suspended due to attack on bus crew

NT Correspondent

Belagavi: Bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra have been suspended following attacks on buses and their crew. "We have suspended bus services to Maharashtra since yesterday. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has also stopped operating buses to Karnataka," a senior officer of the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) told PTI. The decision was taken given the tension prevailing in the border district of Belagavi over a sensitive issue, he explained. Meanwhile, both factions of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike—T A Narayana Gowda and Praveen Shetty—staged demonstrations. Later, the pro-Kannada activists courted arrest. Gowda and Shetty separately met conductor Mahadevappa Hukkeri in the morning and assured him of all possible assistance.

Speaking to reporters, Gowda said the KRV would not tolerate miscreants damaging Karnataka vehicles and attacking Kannadigas for not speaking Marathi. He also slammed Karnataka politicians for taking the issue lightly and not responding appropriately. Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy maintained that the situation in Belagavi was normal and that there was nothing to worry about. He added that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had directed Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and DGP Alok Mohan to speak to their counterparts in Maharashtra and ensure the safety of buses and crew from both states. "Our buses are not going to Maharashtra.

There are 509 scheduled services every day. From Maharashtra, 130-140 buses come to Karnataka. This is affecting people who commute between both states," he told reporters. Apart from one incident of a Maharashtra bus being defaced in Chitradurga, no other such incidents have occurred in Karnataka, he said. "Organisations have staged protests, but they have not indulged in such acts. However, protesters in Maharashtra have defaced our buses and smeared colours on our drivers. Our Chief Secretary has spoken to officials in Maharashtra. I have brought the matter to the notice of the Chief Minister," Reddy said.

Noting that the conductor who was assaulted is likely to be discharged tomorrow, Reddy said the POCSO case against him was "false." The language row in Belagavi began after a group of people allegedly intercepted a KSRTC bus and assaulted its conductor and driver for not speaking to a passenger in Marathi.

The passenger, a minor girl, also filed a complaint stating that the conductor misbehaved with her. Meanwhile, the family of the minor girl, issued a video statement saying they had decided to withdraw the case and urged people to stop escalating the matter.