Karnataka Bandh: Bengaluru Streets Wear Deserted Look As Pro-Kannada Groups Protest Across State — Video
Karnataka Bandh: Belagavi, the focal point of the dispute, remained under tight security. While KSRTC buses continued operating within Karnataka, services from Maharashtra to Belagavi were restricted.
Karnataka Bandh: Pro-Kannada organisations are holding a 12-hour statewide bandh on Saturday in response to the alleged assault on a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus conductor in Belagavi last month. The incident, which reportedly involved an attack over the conductor’s lack of fluency in Marathi, has reignited tensions in the Karnataka-Maharashtra border region.
The bandh, however, received mixed reactions across the state. While businesses and shops remained open in several areas, protests were held in key locations, demanding justice for the assaulted conductor and action against linguistic discrimination.
Protests Across Karnataka
In Bengaluru, activists gathered at Mysore Bank Circle, raising slogans and holding placards condemning the attack. Demonstrations also took place at the Majestic BMTC and KSRTC bus stands, where protesters urged transport workers to support the bandh, reported PTI. As tensions escalated, the police detained several demonstrators as a preventive measure.
Similar protests unfolded in Mysuru, where pro-Kannada groups staged a sit-in at the suburban bus stand, blocking buses heading to Bengaluru and other districts. Police intervened, detaining demonstrators who attempted to halt KSRTC buses. In Davangere, activists took to the streets to voice their demands, further amplifying calls for justice.
#WATCH | Karnataka: Pro-Kannada activists protest in Mandya amid the 12-hour bandh called by pro-Kannada organisations. The bandh has been called in protest against the alleged assault on a bus conductor in Belagavi for not speaking Marathi. Visuals from Sanjaya Circle in the… pic.twitter.com/M51tPDwR0L
— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2025
In Chikkamagaluru, some activists forced shopkeepers to shut the shops, as per ANI.
#WATCH | Karnataka: Pro-Kannada activists make people shut down shops in Chikkamagaluru amid the 12-hour bandh called by pro-Kannada organisations. The bandh has been called in protest against the alleged assault on a bus conductor in Belagavi for not speaking Marathi. pic.twitter.com/WLMnvkeETB
— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2025
Some of the areas were deserted due to the protest.
VIDEO | Karnataka Bandh: Streets remain deserted in Bengaluru following a call by pro-Kannada groups for statewide shutdown in protest over alleged assault on a conductor of a state-run bus in Belagavi.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 22, 2025
(Full video available on PTI Videos- https://t.co/dv5TRAShcC) pic.twitter.com/5qdbAIgg0E
Belagavi On High Alert
Belagavi, the focal point of the dispute, remained under tight security. While KSRTC buses continued operating within Karnataka, services from Maharashtra to Belagavi were restricted. The border town, home to a sizable Marathi-speaking population, has long been a flashpoint for linguistic tensions.
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