Language Dispute Escalates: Maharashtra-Karnataka Halt Bus Services

New Delhi: The language dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka has flared up once again. This time the matter became so serious that both the states have stopped bus services to each other. On Friday, Karnataka State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus conductor Mahadev Hukkeri was attacked in Belgaum. It is alleged that when he refused to speak Marathi and asked to speak in Kannada, he got into an argument with two students. The argument escalated so much that the conductor was beaten up. Police arrested three people in this case and detained a minor girl.

On Saturday, the dispute took a political turn when a bus driver from Maharashtra was attacked and his face was blackened in Chitradurga, Karnataka. In response, Shiv Sena (UBT) workers threw black paint on a Karnataka bus in Kolhapur and put their party's flag on it.

Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said, "We have stopped all government bus services to Karnataka... If our people are beaten up in Karnataka for not speaking Kannada, we will not tolerate it."

Tension rises in Belagavi

After the incident, the atmosphere in Belagavi turned tense. Kannada organisations protested on Friday and took out a march to the village on Saturday. Karnataka Navnirman Sena workers blackened the face of a Maharashtra bus conductor in Chitradurga and broke the windows of his bus.

Conductor Hukkeri's statement

Conductor Hukkeri told the media that the dispute started while giving tickets. He said, "A woman and a man were sitting in the bus. The woman asked for two free tickets. I gave one and asked who wanted the second one. She pointed towards the man. But I told them that bus travel is not free for men in Karnataka. Then they asked me to speak in Marathi." The conductor further said, "I don't know Marathi, so I asked them to speak in Kannada. Then six-seven people inside the bus attacked me. When the bus stopped, about 50 people were standing outside, they also beat me."

Accused in jail, case against conductor too

On Friday night, the police produced the accused before the judge. The judge sent the three men to 14-day judicial custody and sent the minor girl to a juvenile home. Belgaum Police Commissioner Ada Martin confirmed that the minor girl has filed a complaint of sexual harassment against the conductor. On this basis, a case has been registered against the conductor under Section 12 of the POCSO Act.

Old roots of the Belgaum dispute

Belgaum has long been the center of dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka. A large number of Marathi-speaking people live here, but it is a part of Karnataka. There has been tension between the two states on this issue earlier as well.