Belagavi bus conductor assault: Karnataka minister expresses solidarity with victim

It is unfortunate that Shiv Sena is supporting the five accused arrested for assaulting the conductor, Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy lamented.

Belagavi/Bagalkot: Expressing his solidarity with NWKRTC bus conductor Mahadev Hukkeri, who was allegedly assaulted at Sanna Balekundri near Belagavi for not speaking Marathi, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said on Monday that his department and people of the state would stand by the conductor.

“Our buses run 1.72 lakh trips a day. This (incident) is unprecedented. There were 90 people in the bus. Everyone is saying that the Pocso case was registered intentionally against the conductor,” Reddy told reporters after meeting the conductor in the hospital.

“Our (RTC) officials will discuss with police officials on action against the officer who booked the conductor under Pocso Act. I will speak to Home Minister G Parameshwara on withdrawing the Pocso case and invoking Goonda

Act against the assaulters,” Reddy said.

It is unfortunate that Shiv Sena is supporting the five accused arrested for assaulting the conductor, the minister lamented.

On the blackening of state buses in Maharashtra, Reddy said, “The chief secretary will speak to her Maharashtra counterpart. I will talk to the Maharashtra transport minister, if needed. We have taken legal action against those involved in blackening of Maharashtra buses and we expect the Maharashtra government to reciprocate, he told reporters in Bagalkot.

He was responding to a query on blackening of an Ilkal depot bus in Maharashtra’s Solapur. The NWKRTC stopped services to Solapur and Kolhapur. The bus service from Belagavi to Maharashtra has been completely stalled following stray incidents of violence and attack on buses.