Fri Feb 21 14:32:31 UTC 2025: ## NWKRTC Conductor Beaten for Requesting Kannada in Belagavi
**Belagavi, Karnataka – February 21, 2025** – A North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) conductor was brutally assaulted by a group of unidentified men in Chikka Balekundri village, Belagavi district, on Friday. Mahadevappa Hukkeri, the victim, was admitted to the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences with injuries sustained during the attack.
According to police reports, the assault stemmed from a dispute over language. Hukkeri, who does not speak Marathi, asked a boy travelling with a girl on the bus to speak Kannada after the boy refused to pay his fare and argued in Marathi. The boy then allegedly called for reinforcements, and approximately 20 villagers attacked the conductor.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rohan Jagadeesh visited Hukkeri in the hospital. Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists have demanded the immediate arrest of the perpetrators. The police are investigating the incident.
First Piper 