Belagavi, 26 Feb

Government bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra, which were halted on 22 February are expected to resume from Thursday, according to Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Roshan Mohammed.

He stated that no untoward incidents had been reported in either state in the past 24 hours, prompting both governments to consider resuming public transportation. As a precautionary measure, buses will operate under police protection, he added. Roshan and Belagavi Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled held a video conference with their Kolhapur counterparts in Maharashtra on Tuesday. They noted that tensions over the language dispute, which had strained relations between the two states, were easing.

The meeting followed a discussion between Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and her Maharashtra counterpart on Tuesday, DC Roshan added.

Several buses were blackened, affixed with regional flags, and crew members were forced to chant state slogans. The suspension was triggered by an incident on 22 February when Karnataka bus conductor Mahadevappa Hukkeri was assaulted in Balekundri village, Belagavi talukby a group of 7-8 individuals. The attack occurred after Hukkeri requested bus fare in Kannada, but was allegedly forced by a man and his minor sister to respond in Marathi. Hukkeri sustained injuries to his cheek and back and is currently undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Belagavi.

Following these events, bus services to Maharashtra from Vijayapura and Bagalkot (attached to the Belagavi division) were also withdrawn after similar vandalism incidents were reported in both states.

As tensions escalated, both states resorted to operating buses only up to their respective borders. Passengers had to disembark at the border and board buses from the other state to continue their journey. To facilitate travel, buses were stationed at border points in both states to transport passengers to their destinations.