Border dispute: MSRTC partially suspends bus services to Karnataka
Mumbai, Dec 7: Amid the simmering border row, Maharashtra's state-run bus operator on Wednesday said it has suspended 382 bus services to Karnataka, of the total 1,156 services operated by it daily to the neighbouring state.
The decision of partial suspension of bus services to Karnataka was taken following the instructions from the local police and the district administration, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) said in a statement.
The MSRTC buses departing from various places in Maharashtra go to Karnataka via Nanded, Osmanabad, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts.
Of these, 312 out of the 572 services operated from Kolhapur via Nipani-Belagavi have been suspended on the instructions of local police and the district administration, it said.
The buses to Gadhinglaj, Chandgad, Aajra (all in Kolhapur district), Konkan and Goa from Kolhapur have been diverted via alternate routes instead of Nipani town in Kolhapur, the statement said.
Apart from this, 22 of the 60 services to Karnataka from Sangli district have been suspended due to the instruction from local administration, it said, adding that another 48 services on sensitive routes from other divisions have been suspended.
The 145 buses that went to Saundatti shrine in Karnataka carrying around 7,000 devotees from Kolhapur are expected to reach by midnight. If necessary, Karnataka police have assured to give protection to these buses, the MSRTC said in the statement.
On the occasion of 'Datta Jayanti', the birth anniversary of Hindu deity Lord Dattatreya, a fair has been organised at Ganagapur in Karnataka, for which additional buses are being run on Solapur-Akkalkot-Ganagapur route as many devotees from Maharashtra take part in the fair. However, the service is operated without any trouble.
The MSRTC is one of the biggest state-owned public transport undertakings in the country with a fleet of over 16,000 buses. The loss-making corporation used to ferry over 60 lakh passengers daily before the outbreak of the pandemic.
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Young woman from MP who shot to fame during Kumbh found to be minor, case registered against husband
Khargone (MP) (PTI): The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes on Friday confirmed that a young woman from Madhya Pradesh who became famous due to her viral videos during the 2025 Maha Kumbh has been found to be a minor after an inquiry.
Citing the findings of an inquiry panel set up by the commission, local BJP leaders alleged that her interfaith marriage in Kerala last month was a case of "love Jihad", and sought legal action.
While the panel had submitted its report in March, ST commission chairman Antar Singh Arya confirmed its findings to the PTI on Friday.
A case for alleged kidnapping and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has already been registered against her husband, a Muslim man, at Maheshwar on the basis of the inquiry findings, police said.
The girl gained national fame after her videos while selling garlands and rudraksha at the Maha Kumbh went viral on social media and also earned her a role in a film.
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes set up an inquiry panel after receiving a complaint on March 17 from Pratham Dubey, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, that she was a minor and was being exploited.
Maheshwar BJP MLA Rajkumar Mev and BJP mandal president Vikram Patel, armed with documents, told reporters on Friday that her marriage in Kerala was a case of "love Jihad" and she should be brought back home.
'Love jihad' is a term used by right-wing groups to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into marriage to convert them to Islam.
Police said an investigation is underway, and further action would be taken accordingly.
The girl, who belongs to the nomadic Pardhi community, got married at a temple in Kerala in March. The interfaith marriage drew angry reactions from rightwing Hindu groups.
Her family members and film director Sanoj Mishra -- who had offered her a film role after she became famous -- too alleged that it was 'love Jihad'.
As per the inquiry conducted by the ST commission, records at the Maheshwar government hospital showed the woman's date of birth as December 30, 2009 which meant she was 16 years and two months old at the time of marriage, said Dubey, the complainant.
On a complaint filed by her father, police registered a case against the girl's husband at Maheshwar police station on March 25 for alleged kidnapping and under the POCSO Act and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Police sources said that a separate case was also registered on March 24 under section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (taking a minor from lawful custody of guardian without their consent) based on the the commission's findings.
