KRV activists attempt to set Maharashtra bus ablaze

 Activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike attempted to set a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus on fire even as passengers struggled to alight from it near Stavanidhi in Nipani town in Chikodi taluk on Saturday.

The activists, armed with stones and fuel, intercepted the Kolhapur-Belgaum MSRTC bus at around noon near Stavanidhi, a pilgrim centre. Without giving the passengers an opportunity to get off the bus, they doused it with fuel and threw stones from all sides. A few men set the spare tyre at the bottom of the vehicle on fire.

Panic-stricken passengers, including several women and children, cried for help but the men did not let them alight the bus. Finally, the passengers risked their lives to get off the bus as the activists doused the vehicle with more fuel and threw stones at it. Some of the passengers sustained injuries in the melee.

By the time the police arrived at the spot, the vehicle was considerably damaged and the passengers had managed to get off it. Nipani Town police have registered a case.

The attack is believed to be a mark of protest against the permission granted by the administration for organising the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti’s convention in Yellur on Sunday.

Following Saturday’s incident, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) suspended bus services towards Kolhapur in Maharashtra anticipating retaliation from the neighbouring state.

Maha mela this Sunday

Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) has organised its convention after a gap of three years at Yellur village on Sunday.

The convention on Sunday is being organised by a faction of the MES to make its presence felt in the Marathi-speaking border areas of the State. The group has left no stone unturned in inviting political leaders from Maharashtra to attend the convention and address its workers.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has expressed his inability to attend the convention and has assured to depute some ministers from his Cabinet.

Preparations for the convention are on in full swing and a huge pandal has been erected to accommodate over 20,000 people on the ground named ‘Maharashtra Maidan’ on the outskirts of Yellur.