BELAGAVI: The conductor and driver of a North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) bus were attacked by a group of people following an argument over language at Balekundri (KH) village, 16 km from here, on Friday.
Mahadev Hukkeri, a bus conductor, has lodged a formal complaint at the Marihal police station, alleging that he and Rajesab Momin, were brutally assaulted by a group of individuals upon reaching Balekundri (KH).
A video clip of the attack has since gone viral on social media, with some irate Kannada outfits demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.
Speaking to the media at BIMS Govt Hospital, Hukkeri said: "A young girl and boy were travelling to Balekundri from Belagavi city. When the girl showed me her Aadhaar Card, I told her in Kannada to pay for the boy's ticket. However, she insisted that I speak to her in Marathi. Upon telling her that I didn't know Marathi, she told me to learn Marathi. Meanwhile, the boy jumped into the argument and threatened me."
Hukkeri said once the bus reached Balekundri, around 20 people boarded the vehicle and started punching and kicking him, even as they told him to learn Marathi. "I was scared. It was horrible," Hukkeri added.
Confirming that the bus driver and conductor were both assaulted, Rohan Jagadish, the DCP (Law and Order), said the incident occurred after an argument on language grounds.
Violence over language: Man assaulted at Bengaluru store for asking staff to learn Kannada
A 52-year-old man was assaulted after he requested the staff of an arts store on BVK Iyengar Road to learn Kannada.
Syed Rafieq, a resident of Dabaspet and the owner of a shamiyana tent house, reported the incident to the police. Following his complaint, the City Market police arrested Shesh Kumar and Aravind, both in their 30s and employed at Mamatha Arts store.
According to Rafieq, the incident occurred on September 30 when he and his wife visited the store in Chickpet. While browsing, he asked the employees to show designs of a lamp stand, known as ‘deepada kamba’ in Kannada. However, this led to a heated argument, ultimately escalating into an assault.
"I initially spoke to them in Hindi but used the words ‘kanchina deepada kamba'. The shopkeeper didn't understand. So I tried explaining to them, in vain. The shopowner intervened and I was talking to him. The employees scolded me in Hindi. So, I told them to learn Kannada when they're running a business here. Aravind shouted at me, asking if he needed to go to school and learn Kannada to talk to me. I replied there is nothing wrong in going to school and learning Kannada," Rafieq said.