Maharashtra Suspends Buses To Karnataka After Driver Attacked, His Face Blackened

The bus was plying from Bengaluru to Mumbai when it was attacked in Chitradurga around 9.10 pm by pro-Kannada activists, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said.

A police case has been registered in Karnataka in connection with the alleged attack.

Source : PTI

The Maharashtra government suspended the state transport buses to Karnataka after a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus was attacked by pro-Kannada activists. 

The bus was plying from Bengaluru to Mumbai when it was attacked in Chitradurga around 9.10 pm by pro-Kannada activists, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said. The protesters also blackened the face of driver Bhaskar Jadhav and assaulted him.

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.

Conductor Assaulted In Another Incident

In another case, four people have been arrested 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.

The conductor said 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. He suffered 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.