Pro-Kannada groups on Friday called for a 12-hour statewide shutdown in Karnataka to protest last month’s alleged assault on a bus conductor in Belagavi for not knowing Marathi. Officials confirmed that extensive security measures have been implemented across the state, with home guards and city armed reserve units deployed for the bandh, which will last from 6 am to 6 pm today.
Transport services are expected to face disruptions as some auto-rickshaws, cabs, and private driver unions have extended their support to the protest. However, state-run transport corporations such as the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will continue operating.
Hotel associations, malls, bars, and restaurants have pledged moral support to the bandh. Essential services, including pharmacies, hospitals, ambulances, petrol pumps, and metro services, will remain unaffected.
Schools and colleges will remain open, but with some transport services disrupted, the shutdown is likely to impact Class 10 students appearing for their exams today.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar stated that the state government would not support the shutdown. “We will protect the interests of the state. Everyone should maintain peace and follow the law. However, I feel there is no need for a bandh,” he said.
Notably, some factions of the pro-Kannada group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, led by T A Narayana Gowda and Praveen Shetty, have opted not to participate in the protest.
The protest follows last month’s incident in Belagavi, where a KSRTC bus conductor was allegedly assaulted for not understanding Marathi. According to the conductor’s police complaint, a female passenger requested a ticket in Marathi.
Upon informing her that he could not understand the language and asking her to speak in Kannada, she and her male companion allegedly attacked him. The violence escalated when a larger group intercepted the bus and assaulted the conductor.
Authorities arrested four individuals in connection with the assault. However, the conductor was also booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act following a complaint from the girl, who accused him of ‘indecent behaviour.’
The incident intensified tensions between Maharashtra and Karnataka. In a retaliatory act, a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus driver, Bhaskar Jadhav, was assaulted in Hiriyur Taluk of Karnataka’s Chitradurga district.
Unidentified individuals blackened his face with paint. Days later, a KSRTC ultra-luxury bus was vandalised in Maharashtra, with slogans like ‘Jai Maharashtra,’ ‘Marathi,’ and ‘Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’ painted on its body.
In response to the escalating conflict, Maharashtra temporarily halted MSRTC bus services to Karnataka. Karnataka also scaled down its bus services to Maharashtra.
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