Belagavi: Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Monday expressed his support for bus conductor Mahadevappa Hukkeri, who was allegedly assaulted in Belagavi for not speaking Marathi.
He stated that his department and the people of the state stand by Hukkeri.
According to Hukkeri, the incident occurred on Friday when a young man and girl boarded the bus. When he asked for their tickets, the boy responded in Marathi.
Upon informing them that he did not understand Marathi and asked them to respond in Kannada, the boy immediately called his friends and attacked him and the driver.
Based on a complaint, five people have been arrested. The girl, who is a minor, also lodged a police complaint alleging that Hukkeri behaved with her indecently.
“There were 90 people in the bus. Everyone is saying that the POCSO case has been registered intentionally against the conductor. We all are with Mahadevappa including the local leaders, citizens, media and the people of the state,” Reddy told reporters after meeting the conductor in the hospital.
The Minister expressed dissatisfaction over the police action in the case.
“After coming here (Belagavi) I came to know that at least 15 people were involved in the attack on Hukkeri but only five people have been arrested. The others should also be arrested. If we let them go scot-free then they will continue to indulge in such activities,” Reddy said.
The attack on the bus conductor has once again reignited the decades-old border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka.
There have been attacks on bus drivers and conductors of the state road transport corporations of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Speaking to reporters in Tumakuru, state Home Minister G Parameshwara urged the Maharashtra government to action against those involved in such incidents.
“Often disputes take place on 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.
Parameshwara emphasised that Karnataka takes immediate police action in such cases and urged Maharashtra to do the same.