Following the incident, Kannada activists of the Karnataka Nava Nirmana Sena smeared black ink on a Maharashtra bus and its driver near Aimangala toll gate on Friday night.
Published Feb 22, 2025 | 11:49 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 22, 2025 | 11:52 AM
Bus conductor attacked for asking passenger to speak in Kannada. (Screengrab)
Synopsis: On 21 February, a group of Marathi youth assaulted bus conductor Mahadev near Sulebhavi-Balekundri in Belagavi after he asked a passenger to speak in Kannada. The incident, captured on video, sparked protests. In Chitradurga, Kannada activists smeared black ink on a Maharashtra bus in protest. Three accused were arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
An incident unfolded near Sulebhavi-Balekundri villages in Belagavi taluk, of Karnataka on Friday, 21 February, when a group of Marathi youth allegedly assaulted bus conductor Mahadev after he requested a passenger to speak in Kannada.
The altercation began when a young woman asked for two bus tickets in Marathi, and Mahadev, unable to understand the language, asked her to communicate in Kannada.
The group, upset by this, stopped the moving bus near Balekundri and began attacking Mahadev. The conductor sustained injuries in the assault and was immediately taken to Belagavi BIMS Hospital for medical treatment.
The video of the assault has since then gone viral on social media platforms, with many responding sharply to the incident.
The Marihal police acted swiftly, arresting three individuals within hours of the incident. They were subsequently produced in court, where they were remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
Before being sent to Hindalaga jail, the accused underwent a medical check-up at the district hospital.
#Belagavi: Bus Conductor Attacked for Asking Passenger to Speak in Kannada
A group of Marathi youth allegedly assaulted bus conductor Mahadev near Sulebhavi-Balekundri villages in Belagavi taluk on Friday after he requested a passenger to speak in Kannada. The clash erupted when… pic.twitter.com/mxGuGdrgjM
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) February 22, 2025
Following the incident, tensions escalated in Chitradurga district, where the Kannada activists of the Karnataka Nava Nirmana Sena smeared black ink on a Maharashtra bus and its driver near Aimangala toll gate on Friday night.
Led by district president Tippeswamy, the activists staged a protest near Guyilalu toll gate, accusing members of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti of assaulting the conductor. As a mark of protest, they also wrote “Jai Karnataka, Jai Kannada” on the bus.
#Chitradurga: #Kannada Activists Smear Black Ink on Maharashtra Bus in Protest
Condemning the attack on a #Karnataka state bus conductor in Belagavi, Kannada activists of the Karnataka Nava Nirmana Sena smeared black ink on a Maharashtra bus and its driver near Aimangala toll… pic.twitter.com/PuqENfDXVu
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) February 22, 2025
