The situation along the Karnataka-Maharashtra border continues to remain tense, following an incident where a bus conductor from the North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) was assaulted on Friday, February 21, after requesting a passenger to speak in Kannada.
Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy is set to visit Belagavi on Monday, February 24, to assess the ongoing issues concerning bus services, which were suspended by both states as a precautionary measure after the assault. His visit has sparked hopes that services from Karnataka may resume, as officials have indicated that they would be reinstated on Monday.
Minister Reddy emphasised the importance of taking action against those involved in the attack on the conductor and the vandalism of KSRTC buses. He stressed that damaging buses serves no purpose other than to fuel the unrest and called on all linguistic communities to promote peaceful coexistence.
Meanwhile, the Belagavi police have arrested one more person in connection with the assault, bringing the total number of arrests to five, including one minor. The latest arrested individual, Mohan Hanchinal of Chikka Balekundri village, was taken into custody on Sunday. The assaulted conductor, Mahadevappa Hukkeri, remains in critical care in Belagavi.
The situation took an unexpected turn on Saturday when a counter-complaint was filed against the conductor by some villagers from Chikka Balekundri, accusing him of attempting to molest a minor girl on the bus. A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has since been registered.
In the aftermath of the incident, bus services between the two states were halted after Shiv Sena (UBT) activists damaged KSRTC buses in Pune and Kolhapur, while Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists halted Maharashtra buses in the Belagavi district towns of Athani and Ramdurg. As of now, buses are only operating up to the inter-state border, with NWKRTC services expected to resume inter-state operations from Monday, should tensions subside.
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has also confirmed that Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses will remain suspended until talks are held between the concerned ministers of both states.
In a related development, KRV president Narayana Gowda is scheduled to visit Belagavi on Tuesday to condemn the assault on the conductor and demand justice.