Karnataka closed today, what will remain open and where will the locks be hung?
Karnataka Bandh Today: Why is it happening? A shutdown has been announced in Karnataka today, on 22 March. Several pro-Kannada organizations have organized a shutdown in Karnataka between 6 am and 6 pm in protest against the alleged attack on a bus conductor in Belgaum. It is alleged that the conductor of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) was attacked because he wasn’t Marathi-speaking, which is the reason that a lot of resentment exists in the state towards discrimination between linguistic communities.
At the same time, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar stated that the state government under Siddaramaiah will not be backing the shutdown. According to him, we will tell them that this is not the correct move, as it will impact the students whose exams have already begun.
A huge contingent of security personnel has been deployed in Belgaum and other sensitive locations of the state. Students and daily commuters have been alerted that the shutdown will impact their routine. Particularly the movement of private cars, auto-buses will be halted here. Malls and multiplexes will be closed. Some private offices will also be locked. Cinemas will be closed.
There are some students who attend school for the purpose of exams, hence there has to be contact between parents and school. State government offices will function. There is no news of these things being closed down officially, but there are locks hanging here.
Why was Karnataka bandh called?
Earlier, a conductor of a bus operated by KSRTC from Belagavi to Balekundri was allegedly assaulted by individuals from pro-Marathi groups as he was not talking their language. In the aftermath of the attack, inter-state bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra were put on hold. The assault on the conductor has renewed debate over the long history of language controversy between the two states.
After independence, Maharashtra had demanded Belgaum. Belgaum belongs to Karnataka. The reason for this was that Marathi speaking population is very large there. Since then, language rivalry has been a problem on the border of both the states.
The closure has been coordinated by a collective of various Kannada pro-Kannada groups known as Kannada Okkuta. They have asked for firm action against pro-Marathi activists who, they claimed, had instigated violence and disrupted communal peace in the region. They also advocated a prohibition on pro-Marathi groups.
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