A 12-hour statewide bandh called by pro-Kannada groups is underway in Karnataka today, in protest of the alleged assault on a state-run bus conductor in Belagavi last month for not knowing Marathi.
Pro-Kannada groups took to the streets and protested, appealing to shopkeepers to cooperate and support the cause.
A 12-hour statewide bandh called by pro-Kannada groups is underway in Karnataka today, in protest of the alleged assault on a state-run bus conductor in Belagavi last month for not knowing Marathi.
In many parts of the state, pro-Kannada groups took to the streets and protested, appealing to shopkeepers to cooperate and support the cause, according to reports.
To maintain law and order, elaborate security arrangements have been made across the state, and senior officials are monitoring the situation on the ground to prevent any untoward incident.
Citing officials, the Press Trust of India reported that police in various districts have deployed home guards along with the City Armed Reserve unit as a precautionary measure to ensure that the bandh is observed peacefully without causing inconvenience to the public.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayanand has warned that legal action will be taken against those forcing people to participate in the bandh.
"60 Karnataka State Reserve Police platoons, 1,200 home guards and the entire civil and traffic police force have been deployed in Bengaluru City as a precautionary measure.No Holiday has been declared," he said as quoted by PTI.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has urged the people of the state to maintain peace, cooperate with the police and follow the law.
"We will protect the interests of the state. Everyone should maintain peace and follow the law. However, I feel there is no need for a bandh," he told the reporters on Friday.
Schools and colleges will remain open across the state during the 12-hour shutdown. However, some transport services are likely to be disrupted, the shutdown may affect Class 10 students who are taking exams today.
Sources in Belagavi said KSRTC buses were running normally but movement of buses from Maharashtra to this north Karnataka border town, which is at the centre of the language row, was restricted.
Essential services – including pharmacies, hospitals, ambulances, petrol pumps and metro services – will remain operational.
In February, a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus conductor was allegedly attacked by some people because he did not respond to a passenger in Marathi.
According to the conductor's police complaint, a girl had asked for a ticket in Marathi. When she said she did not understand Marathi and requested him to speak to her in Kannada, he and his male companion allegedly attacked her. The situation worsened when a large group stopped the bus and assaulted the conductor.
The police have arrested four men involved in the attack, while the bus conductor has also been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after the girl filed a complaint alleging "indecent behaviour".