Minister Ramalinga Reddy supports bus conductor assaulted for not speaking Marathi in Belagavi
Belagavi (Karnataka), Feb 24 (PTI): Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Monday expressed his support for bus conductor Mahadevappa Hukkeri, who was allegedly assaulted in Belagavi for not speaking Marathi to a passenger.
He stated that his department and the people of the state stand by Hukkeri.
The incident occurred in Balekundri here on Friday. According to the conductor Hukkeri, a minor girl boarded his bus along with a male friend and when he asked them to take ticket, her friend replied in Marathi. Upon informing them that he did not understand Marathi and asked them to respond in Kannada, the boy immediately called his friends and attacked him and the driver, Hukkeri told police.
Based on his complaint, five people have been arrested. The girl, who is a minor, also lodged a police complaint alleging that Hukkeri behaved with her indecently.
"There were 90 people in the bus. Everyone is saying that the POCSO case has been registered intentionally against the conductor. We are all with Mahadevappa including the local leaders, citizens, media and the people of the state,” Reddy told reporters after meeting the conductor in the hospital.
The Minister expressed dissatisfaction over the police action in the case. "After coming here (Belagavi) I came to know that at least 15 people were involved in the attack on Hukkeri but only five people have been arrested. The others should also be arrested. If we let them go scot-free then they will continue to indulge in such activities," Reddy said.
The attack on the bus conductor has once again reignited the decades-old border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka. There have been attacks on bus drivers and conductors of the state road transport corporations of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Speaking to reporters in Tumakuru, state Home Minister G Parameshwara urged the Maharashtra government to take action against those involved in such incidents.
"Often disputes take place on linguistic basis in Belagavi at the Maharashtra border. We have to tread with care. This applies to both Maharashtra and Karnataka because we should not allow this to grow further," he said.
Parameshwara emphasised that Karnataka takes immediate police action in such cases and urged Maharashtra to do the same.
Karnataka Woman and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, who is from Belagavi, said the matter of POCSO case registered against the conductor was under investigation and truth would come out soon.
She, however, noted that there were 90 people travelling in the bus and everyone was witness to what had happened there. The Minister underlined the need to behave in a matured way. "Karnataka and Maharashtra are part of India. I saw people from Maharashtra attacking our buses and staff. This should stop. We should know who our enemies are and avoid fighting amongst ourselves."
The BJP state president BY Vijayendra said these incidents show the deteriorating law and order situation in both Karnataka and Maharashtra. "Kannadigas are not cowards. We too have the strength to do much more than what they do but it is not proper to conspire such activities for vested interest. Governments of both Karnataka and Maharashtra should bring this under control," he told reporters in Mysuru.
ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯ ರಸ್ತೆ ಸಾರಿಗೆ ನಿಗಮದ ಬಸ್ ನಿರ್ವಾಹಕನ ಮೇಲೆ ಹಲ್ಲೆ ಮಾಡಿದವರ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ದೂರು ದಾಖಲಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಬಂಧಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ.
— Ramalinga Reddy (@RLR_BTM) February 23, 2025
ನಮ್ಮ ನಾಡಿನ ನೆಲ, ಜಲ, ಭಾಷೆ ವಿಚಾರದ ವಿರುದ್ಧವಾಗಿ ಅನವಶ್ಯಕವಾಗಿ ಈ ರೀತಿ ಪುಂಡಾಟಿಕೆ ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ಗಡಿಪಾರು ಮಾಡಲು ಗೃಹ ಸಚಿವರಿಗೆ ಮನವಿ ಮಾಡಿ ಕ್ರಮ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳಲಾಗುವುದು.#Belagavi #KSRTC #NWKRTC… pic.twitter.com/wUZfc1aoDA
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Woman, 2 sons found dead in Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): Three members of a family were found dead inside their home in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji on Friday, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, officials said.
Police said the incident came to light around 2.47 pm when a police team reached the premises to execute a court order related to possession of the property. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the staff used a duplicate key to open the door.
Inside, officers found Anuradha Kapoor (52) and her sons, Ashish Kapoor (32) and Chaitanya Kapoor (27), hanging from the ceiling, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement. All three were declared dead.
A handwritten note was recovered from the room, suggesting the family had been struggling with depression.
"The handwritten note indicates emotional distress faced by the family due to which the family may have taken the extreme step," the officer said.
The bodies have been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) mortuary for post-mortem and other legal formalities under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said.
Residents of the neighbourhood said they were shocked to learn about the deaths, adding that the family kept largely to themselves.
Pankaj Kashyap, a resident of Girinagar, said he learnt about the deaths while leaving for work. "I live and work here and was leaving for work when I saw many people standing outside and talking. That is how I got to know that three people had committed suicide. I also saw several police vehicles outside, but I do not know much beyond that," he said.
Baldev, another neighbour, said the family had been living in the newly constructed house for around two years. "We only knew that a mother and her two children lived there. They had moved into the newly built house around two years ago. We did not interact much with them. Today we heard that all three have committed suicide, and whatever we know is based on what people here are saying," he said.
Another neighbour, Ramesh Kumar, claimed the family had earlier attempted suicide.
"About fifteen to twenty days ago, the two sons in the family had attempted suicide and police and ambulances had come. That was when I first got to know who they were. I do not recognise them by face, but we saw the ambulances and police take the two sons that day. Today again we saw ambulances and police arriving, so everyone came out to see what had happened. I do not know how long they had been living here, but this is all we know," he said.
Police said they are examining the family's financial condition, social circumstances, and other factors that may have contributed to the incident. Further investigation is underway.
