A street protest turned into a full-fledged conflict between the two neighbouring states, bringing to a halt transport services on both sides.
The Maharashtra-Karnataka boundary dispute took a violent turn on Monday with a street protest turning into a full-fledged conflict between the two neighbouring states, bringing to halt transport services on both sides.
The apex court decision to allow Maharashtra to amend its affidavit to present its case better has unsettled Karnataka, opposed to parting with 865 villages.
The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, championing the cause of the
merger, held demonstrations on the streets of Belgaum. A mob even burnt a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus near the disputed town. Three more buses were severely damaged by mobs. The MSRTC has suspended services to Karnataka till further notice, its managing director, Deepak Kapoor, said. Karnataka, meanwhile, has decided to run buses only up to Nippani.
The ‘Parivartan’ bus that was burnt left the Mumbai Central depot at 5.30am on Monday. It was attacked around 6.20pm near Kittur as it crossed Belgaum. A mob made the passengers, the driver and the conductor get off the bus before setting it on fire. Kapoor said the damage to all four buses was to the tune of Rs15 lakh.
“Our buses at present in Karnataka have been asked to reach the nearest police station. The Pune-Bangalore Volvo, which was near Kolhapur when news of the violence reached us, has been asked to be stationed in the city,” he said. The MSRTC runs about 100 trips to Karnataka a day, especially to border areas, from cities including Mumbai, Pune, Nanded, Usmanabad, Solapur, Latur, Sangli, Kolhapur and Satara.
The reports of heavy lathi charge on demonstrators evoked sharp reactions across Maharashtra. Chief minister Ashok Chavan held discussions with the central leadership to apprise them of the developments. Sensing impending trouble in Mumbai, Pune and Thane, the state deployed additional police force in sensitive
places.
Shiv Sena leader in the state assembly Subash Desai on Monday brought to the state government’s notice the atrocities against Marathi-speaking people in Belgaum. While Sena threatened to counter the Karnataka backlash, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers reportedly set a bus on fire in Pune.
BJP leader Eknath Khadse said, “We will raise the border dispute on the floor of the house and not allow any other business.” Sensing the opposition strategy to rock the monsoon session on the border dispute on Tuesday, Chavan has convened a meeting of the Congress top leadership and cabinet ministers to discuss the counter plans.
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