The feud over language in the buses travelling across state borders into Maharashtra and Karnataka started after a bus conductor was assaulted for not speaking Marathi in Karnataka’s Belagavi.
The tensions have escalated between Maharashtra and Karnataka after a dispute over language in the interstate running buses has intensified. In the latest development, Shiv Sena (UBT) workers on Saturday night blackened the buses with Karnataka number plates. The incident took place in Pune’s Swargate area. The police has said that the action will be taken against those responsible for the blackening of buses.
DCP Smartana Patil sai, “As soon as we got to know that Shiv Sena (UBT) workers were going to come here and do something, we immediately dispatched force. They were successful in spraying black colour on one bus. Not much damage has been done.”
Notably, this incident came in wake of the alleged assault of a Marathi speaking bus driver in Karnataka’s Chitradurga over the ongoing language speaking dispute.
What happened so far?
On Friday, the bus driver and conductor of the North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) were allegedly assaulted by a group of youths for not speaking in Marathi in Karnataka’s Belagavi.
The conductor was injured and was subsequently admitted to Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences. The police took action and apprehended four accused in the case. Meanwhile, the bus conductor was also booked under the POCSO act after the minor girl, one of the accused for beating him, alleged sexual assault.
Following the incident, pro-Kannada organisations opened a front. The supporters of Kannada organisations demonstrated in support of the bus conductor in Chitradurga, Karnataka. During the demonstration, On Friday night, a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) driver’s face was blackened while on duty in Chitradurga, Karnataka, according to Abhijit Bhosale, CPRO of MSRTC.
Reports also suggest that the Maharashtra state transport bus was blackened during the altercation. Amid the escalation, the state bus transport services have been suspended between both states till 7 pm Saturday.
(With ANI Inputs)
