Bus services between Maharashtra, Karnataka suspended amid border language row in Belagavi

Amid the growing tensions in the border district of Belagavi over the Kannada-Marathi language row, bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra have been suspended, news agency PTI reported, citing an official on Tuesday.

The tensions in Belagavi increased after a group of people allegedly assaulted the conductor and driver of a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus for not speaking to a passenger in Marathi. The passenger, who was a minor girl, also made a complaint against the conductor for allegedly misbehaving with her.

The issue further snowballed into a major controversy when buses and their crews from both states engaged in assaults and fights over their respective languages. Linguistic tensions persist in the border regions of Karnataka, where massive populations of Marathi and Kannada speakers often clash over language rights.

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A senior official in the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) told news agency PTI, "We have suspended the bus services to Maharashtra since yesterday. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) too has stopped plying buses to Karnataka."

Call for ‘Belagavi Chalo’

Meanwhile, the Narayana Gowda-led Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) gave a call for 'Belagavi Chalo' on Tuesday, with an intent of staging a protest and holding a public meeting.

Karnataka Ministers have also appealed for peace and harmony in the backdrop of the tense situation. However, state transport minister Ramalinga Reddy accused the Maharashtra government of not taking action against the miscreants who are attack KSRTC buses.

Reddy also met the bus conductor, Mahadevappa Hukkeri, who was assaulted in Belagavi for not speaking Marathi.

Earlier on Monday, Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara urged restraint in the wake of the resurfacing border row. He urged the Maharashtra government to take action against those involved in such incidents. "Often disputes take place on a linguistic basis in Belagavi at the Maharashtra border. We have to tread with care. This applies to both Maharashtra and Karnataka because we should not allow this to grow further," he said.

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Union minister HD Kumaraswamy also lashed out at the state government and condemned the attack on Kannadigas in Belagavi, alleging that the situation in the region turned chaotic under chief minister Siddaramaiah's government.

"In 2006-07, when I was the Chief Minister, a delegation met then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss Maharashtra’s attempts to annex Belagavi. I ensured that did not happen. Instead, I made Belagavi the state’s second capital and laid the foundation stone for Suvarna Vidhana Soudha. Under this government, the situation in Belagavi has turned chaotic," he said in a statement.

The BJP's Karnataka unit chief BY Vijayendra urged the governments of both his state and Maharashtra to bring the situation under control.