Karnataka: Bus conductor assaulted for not speaking Marathi in Belagavi, four arrested

A bus conductor was allegedly assaulted by a mob in Karnataka’s Belagavi district on Friday after he asked two passengers to converse in Kannada, saying that he did not understand Marathi, the Deccan Herald reported.

The North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation bus was on its way to the nearby Balekundri village from Belagavi town.

Karnataka and Maharashtra have been locked in a long-standing dispute over the control of Belagavi, a border town in Karnataka. Parts of the Belagavi district, among some of the other areas of northern Karnataka, are claimed by Maharashtra on linguistic grounds.

The physical altercation took place after a female passenger, while purchasing the bus ticket, allegedly asked the conductor Mahadev Hukkeri to speak in Marathi. Some other passengers in the bus threatened to attack him, the conductor alleged.

When the bus arrived at Balekundri, a group slapped and verbally abused him, reported The New Indian Express. A video of the assault was widely shared on social media. The bus driver was also allegedly attacked by the mob.

Hukkeri was injured and asked the mob to stop the assault. He was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment.

Following the incident, interstate bus services between Maharashtra and Karnataka were suspended on Saturday afternoon, The New Indian Express reported.

The police arrested three men and a minor girl from Balekundri, The Indian Express reported. Several...

Read more