Maharashtra Suspends Bus Services to Karnataka After Driver Assaulted In Retaliation For Attack On Conductor Over Marathi

Maharashtra has suspended state transport bus services to Karnataka following an attack on an MSRTC bus in Chitradurga by pro-Kannada activists, PTI reported.

The incident, which took place on Friday night, saw the bus vandalised and its driver, Bhaskar Jadhav, assaulted and his face blackened.

Announcing the suspension, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik stated, “Bus services to Karnataka won’t be resumed unless the Karnataka government makes its stand clear on the issue.” A police case has been registered in Karnataka regarding the attack.

The violence appears to be a fallout of an earlier incident in Belagavi, where a Karnataka state transport bus conductor, Mahadevappa Mallappa Hukkeri, was allegedly assaulted for failing to reply in Marathi to a young female passenger.

The 51-year-old conductor, recalling the incident in tears, said, “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.”

Hukkeri sustained minor injuries and was treated at the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences. Karnataka police have since arrested four individuals in connection with the assault.

However, a counter-complaint was filed against the conductor, leading to his booking under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for allegedly making inappropriate remarks towards the girl.

Following this, pro-Kannada activists allegedly retaliated by attacking the MSRTC bus in Chitradurga.

The twin incidents have further fuelled tensions in the already sensitive Maharashtra-Karnataka border region.

Pro-Kannada groups have taken to the streets, staging protests, blocking roads, and burning effigies while demanding justice for the assaulted conductor.

Meanwhile, Marathi-speaking groups have expressed outrage over the attack on the MSRTC bus, deepening the discord between the two states.

Belagavi Police Commissioner Iada Martin Marbaniang assured impartiality in both cases. “We are doing the investigation and we will see what is the truth. Accordingly, we will take action as per law,” he said.

Authorities are closely monitoring the situation, given the region's history of border-related tensions.

Belagavi, with its significant Marathi-speaking population, has long been a flashpoint in the Maharashtra-Karnataka dispute.

Officials have called for restraint, with Commissioner Marbaniang urging, “The issue can be handled through an investigation. There is nothing to be concerned about. Peace must be maintained by everyone.”