A group of Shiv Sena (UBT) workers blocked a Karnataka bus, smeared saffron powder on the driver’s head and face, garlanded and forced him to chant ‘Jai Maharashtra’ on Monday, February 24. The incident took place in Solapur.
Along with this, the vandals also painted the bus with the ‘Jai Maharashtra’ slogan, while chanting “chhatrapati shivaji maharaj ki jai, jai maharashtra, jai bhavani.
Similar attacks were reported in Kolhapur which led to a temporary suspension of bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra. Though services resumed briefly on Monday, they were suspended again due to continued security concerns. Karnataka operates approximately 120 daily bus services to Maharashtra via Nipani, but disruptions have left passengers stranded. The states of Karnataka and Maharashtra are witnessing tensions over an incident related to Kannada language.
The unrest also spread to Pune, where two NWKRTC buses—one on the Pune-Indi-Sindagi route and another on the Mumbai-Ilkal route—were stopped on February 23 night. Shiv Sena (UBT) activists blackened all Kannada signage on the buses, including destination boards and number plates.
The latest flare-up was triggered by an incident on February 21, where an NWKRTC bus conductor, Mahadevappa Hukkeri, was assaulted after he reportedly asked a passenger to speak in Kannada. Mahadevappa sustained serious injuries and remains in critical care in Belagavi. The Belagavi police have arrested five people, including a minor, in connection with the assault. The latest arrest was carried out on Monday, with police taking one Mohan Hanchinal, a resident of Chikka Balekundri village, into custody.
Meanwhile, the situation became more complex when a counter-complaint was filed against Mahadevappa on February 22. The arrested accused claim that Mahadevappa attempted to molest a minor girl on the bus, which resulted in the violence. Mahadevappa has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act by the Marihal police.
Responding to the allegations against Mahadevappa, Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, said, “Conductor Mahadev Hukkeri has been serving on the same route for over five years. He was beaten up by a group of men in the village over a language row. The charge that he molested a minor girl on the bus is false and baseless.”
He added, “There were 90 passengers in the bus. How is such an offence possible in such a situation in broad daylight? Vested interests have filed the case against him only to harass him. It is unfortunate that the police have registered the complaint. They should have used their common sense before registering the First Information Report.”