BELAGAVI: Bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra stand suspended until further notice after the Marathi-versus-Kannada row erupted yet again in the border areas, leading to stone-pelting and ink-smearing campaigns on both sides over the past two days. After protesters pelted stones at Maharashtra state transport buses in Kolhapur late Friday night, corporations in both states deemed the environment unsafe and withdrew their buses.
The latest round of protests is believed to have started two days ago as alleged Shiv Sena members blackened Kannada signboards at the famed Mahalakshmi temple in Kolhapur. Videos of the incident went viral, and within 24 hours, pro-Kannada outfits in Belagavi defaced Marathi signboards.
The stoning of Maharashtra state buses in Kolhapur on Friday reignited the chaos. As a precautionary measure, the Belagavi division of North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) suspended 400 buses plying to Maharashtra, and the latter suspended 58 buses. Belagavi division controller Mahadevappa Munji said all Maharashtra state buses have been sent back. TNN