BELAGAVI: A group of Marathi-speaking people assaulted a KSRTC bus conductor for not speaking Marathi with passengers at Balekundri near here on Friday. Conductor Mahadev Hukkeri was admitted to Belagavi civil hospital with injuries. When a woman asked for a free ticket in Marathi, Mahadev told her that he did not understand that language and requested her to speak Kannada.
This led to an argument between the conductor and some Marathi-speaking passengers on the bus. When the bus reached Balekundri, the group entered the bus and assaulted Mahadev. Mahadev told reporters that when the argument broke out, some passengers abused him and threatened him with dire consequences for not speaking Marathi.
When the bus reached Balekundri, many people entered the bus and started assaulting him. They did not listen to his request not to assault him, he said. A video clip of people assaulting the conductor has gone viral, drawing sharp reactions from various Kannada organisations in the district.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Rohan Jagadish said action will be initiated against those who had assaulted Mahadev. A case has been registered at Marihal police station.
Meanwhile, several Kannada organisations condemned the attack on the bus conductor.