Maratha reservation protest: KKRTC suspends bus services to Maharashtra after bus torched

The Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) has temporarily suspended its bus services to Maharashtra following a disturbing incident. On Tuesday, during the ongoing agitation for Maratha reservation, one of KKRTC's buses was set ablaze by protesters in Omerga, Maharashtra. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the incident, PTI reported.

The KKRTC bus, en route from Bhalki in Bidar to Pune, fell victim to the protesters' actions. Quick thinking by officials ensured the safe deboarding of all passengers, after which the bus was deliberately set on fire. To ensure passengers reached their destinations, alternative arrangements were promptly put in place.

A senior transport department official told PTI, "We will halt bus operations until normalcy is restored in the region." This suspension highlights the disruptions caused by the ongoing protests for Maratha reservation in Maharashtra.

MSRTC suspends Pune-Marathwada services due to Maratha reservation protest

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Monday suspended its services from Pune to two districts of Marathwada after protestors demanding reservation for the Maratha community threw stones at some of the buses, an official said. Bus services from Pune to Beed and Latur districts were disrupted during the day, while several buses going to other places via Beed were cancelled, Dnyaneshwar Ranavare, depot in-charge at Shivajinagar, said. Buses were vandalised and targeted by mobs at multiple locations, he added.

Twenty-five buses are operated to Beed from Pune and nine buses to Latur every day, he said. "The police have directed us not to operate buses to these districts. Services on the other routes are smooth," Mr Ranavare added. The protests for the Maratha reservation turned violent on Monday after a mob vandalised and set fire to a house of an NCP MLA and part of a municipal council building in Beed. In Nashik too, passengers were seen stranded in absence of buses going towards Marathwada region after incidents of stone pelting in Beed and Osmanabad districts. Meanwhile, the temple town of Shirdi observed a day-long bandh called by Maratha demonstrators demanding reservation for the community.