Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Feb 25: The family of the minor girl involved in the controversial incident with an RTC bus conductor in Belagavi has announced their decision to withdraw the POCSO case. The case had sparked tensions between Karnataka and Maharashtra after the conductor was assaulted by a group of individuals for allegedly not responding in Marathi.
In a video message, the girl's mother appealed to the people of both states to avoid escalating the issue further. “The incident took place when my son and daughter went to the hospital after purchasing a ticket. The conductor had used inappropriate language. We love the Kannada language, and we speak Marathi at home,” she explained.
She continued, “We are saddened and concerned that this incident has blown up into a conflict between the two states over language. We apologise if we have made any mistake. The assailants involved in the assault have already been arrested, and we feel the matter should end here. It was merely a scuffle over the ticket, and we have decided to withdraw the case.”
Belagavi Police Commissioner Iada Martin acknowledged the update and confirmed that the case had now been handed over to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) for further investigation. “I received the video from the mother of the victim. I will instruct the ACP to record a statement and take appropriate action,” Martin stated.
Karnataka’s Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy, spoke on the situation in Belagavi. “I visited Belagavi on Monday and met the conductor at the hospital. I also discussed the matter with the relevant officials. Currently, no RTC buses from Karnataka are going to Maharashtra, nor are any buses entering Karnataka from Maharashtra. However, private buses continue to operate,” he said. He also highlighted that there were disruptions in bus services, with Karnataka RTC buses being targeted and painted black in Maharashtra.
Minister Reddy confirmed that the situation has led to public inconvenience, stating, “We had 509 bus schedules in Karnataka, while Maharashtra had 130. The public is affected by the disruptions.” He assured that discussions were ongoing with Maharashtra authorities to address the issue, and the state government is monitoring the situation closely. "I’ve briefed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the matter as well," he added.
In the wake of the assault, Kannada organisations staged protests in Belagavi condemning the incident. Demonstrators blocked the Belagavi-Bagalkot road, demanding that the authorities take swift action against those responsible for attacking the bus conductor. Police were forced to remove the protesters from the road and detain them in undisclosed locations.
T.A. Narayana Gowda, president of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, called for the Goonda Act to be applied to those who attacked the conductor. He warned, “If the perpetrators are identified, we are capable of much more than what they did to the conductor. We do not want to follow the path of the Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti (MES).”
Praveen Kumar Shetty, president of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Shetty Faction), suggested that the POCSO charge against the conductor had been lodged under political pressure. “The POCSO case was filed against the conductor due to political influence,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, the conductor expressed relief following the family’s decision to withdraw the case. He stated that the original filing of the POCSO case was intended to pressure him into withdrawing his complaint against the attackers.
The incident in Belagavi, which took place last Saturday, had prompted widespread protests and heightened tensions between Karnataka and Maharashtra. It all began after the conductor allegedly instructed a group of people to speak in Kannada, which led to the assault. Since then, the situation has been closely monitored by both states as they work towards restoring normalcy and easing tensions.