BENGALURU: The Kannada Okkuta has condemned the attacks and insults on Kannadigas by Marathis in Belagavi and has called for a Karnataka bandh on March 22. More than 2,000 organisations have extended their support to the bandh call.
The Kannada Okkuta has organised a crucial meeting on March 18 to discuss the modalities of the bandh and to ensure that the transport department, private transport sector and others extend their complete support to the bandh.
A meeting will be held on Tuesday with all leaders to discuss how to make the bandh successful. After the meeting, an announcement will be made on the structure of the bandh.
The state is expected to witness a complete bandh across all districts to support Kannada, and the shape of the bandh will be clear by March 22.
A NWKRTC bus conductor was beaten up in Belagavi on February 22, allegedly for not speaking in Marathi.
In another incident, Shiv Sena (UBT) workers staged a protest in Pune’s Swargate area last Saturday night, blackening buses with Karnataka number plates. This action followed the assault of a Marathi-speaking bus driver in Chitradurga, who was allegedly attacked for not speaking in Kannada.
#WATCH | Pune: Shiv Sena (UBT) workers staged a protest and blackened the buses with Karnataka number plates in the Swargate area of Pune city after a Marathi-speaking bus driver was assaulted in Belagavi, for allegedly not speaking in Kannada. (22.02) pic.twitter.com/SJ3s0s42p5
— ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2025
The incident has sparked widespread outrage, and the MES workers had smeared black ink on a state transport bus, further infuriating Kannadigas.
A decision on the Karnataka bandh’s outline will be made in Tuesday’s meeting. Several organizations, Kannada activists including Vatal Nagaraj, Sa Ra Govind, Karavali Praveen Shetty, Kannada Kumar, and Shivaram Egappa Gowda are expected participate in tomorrow’s meeting.
