Bengaluru: Tension prevailed in the border district of Belagavi on Saturday following the assault on an RTC bus conductor by a group of people for asking them to speak in Kannada.
Kannada organizations took to the streets in protest, blocking the Belagavi-Bagalkot road and urging the police to take action against those responsible for assaulting the bus conductor.
The incident occurred on Friday in Belagavi district.
The police forcibly removed Kannada activists, including women, who were protesting and took them to an undisclosed location.
Reacting to the incident, Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy stated in Bengaluru on Saturday that those living in Karnataka should learn Kannada. He added that while people can speak their mother tongue, Marathi, they must also speak Kannada in Karnataka.
“All parties should condemn such incidents,” he said.
The incident occurred on an RTC bus travelling from CBT to Sulebhavi, near the Balekundri region. Conductor Mahadevappa Hukkeri had questioned a boy who was travelling with a free ticket intended for women. This led to an argument, during which the boy responded in Marathi. The conductor then asked to speak in Kannada.
Following this, the girl accompanying the boy and a group of other boys assaulted the conductor, insisting that he should learn Marathi.
Previously, the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) engaged in large-scale violence over language issues. They won elections and even prevented the Kannada flag from being hoisted at the Belagavi City Corporation. However, the situation has changed now, Minister Reddy stated.
The incident took a serious turn when a minor girl allegedly involved in the incident filed a complaint under the POCSO Act against the conductor, accusing him of misbehaviour. The Marihala police have registered the case.
Belagavi Police Commissioner Lada Martin has confirmed that both a complaint and counter-complaints have been filed in connection with the attack.
“The minor girl has filed a POCSO case, and the police are investigating the matter. We need to ascertain the truth through the investigation,” he said.
The minister for PWD and Belagavi district in charge, Satish Jarkiholi, stated that he would respond once the police investigation report is available.
Bus conductor Mahadevappa Hukkeri, responding to the POCSO charges against him, questioned the timing of the complaint.
“If I had misbehaved with the girl, they should have immediately filed a complaint. Why did they wait until after I lodged an assault complaint against them? I have a track record of 18 years of service and have never misbehaved,” he claimed.
T.A. Narayana Gowda, state President of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike stated, “Marathi youths have brutally assaulted a bus conductor named Mahadevappa simply because he spoke in Kannada and did not speak in Marathi. This is absolutely unacceptable under any circumstances. The Belagavi police must arrest every individual involved in this attack on Mahadev and send them to jail. If they fail to take action, the consequences will be severe.”
The organization's Belagavi district president, Deepak Gudaganatti, met with Hukkeri to offer support.
He alleged that these fanatics, having failed in their attempts to seize Belagavi, have resorted to cowardly attacks on Kannadigas. Gowda demanded immediate action from the police, stating that if they failed to take strict action, the anger of Kannadigas would erupt. He urged the authorities to arrest the perpetrators immediately to prevent further conflicts.
Considering the sensitivity of the matter and past violent incidents over the language row in the region, the Karnataka police have beefed up security in sensitive areas.
inputs from ians