Belagavi border row: Maharashtra suspends bus services to Karnataka; here's why

According to reports, the decision was taken in the wake of the security alert that the buses might get attacked in Karnataka during the agitations.

The rift between Karnataka and Maharashtra over the Belagavi border does not appear to conclude anytime soon as the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Wednesday (December 7) suspended bus services to Karnataka.

According to reports, the decision was taken in the wake of the security alert that the buses might get attacked in Karnataka during the agitations.

Concerning the safety of passengers and avoiding damages to the public properties, the Maharashtra government said the bus services would resume after there is a clearance from the police.

Amid a simmering border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka, several workers of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction on Tuesday were detained by the police after they attacked buses with Karnataka number plates parked at a private bus parking in Pune.

Workers of the Shiv Sena barged into the private bus stand and sprayed black and orange paint on at least three Karnataka state transport buses in Swargate area of Pune city. Notably, the owner of the bus parking was the Shiv Sena (Uddhav camp) city organiser.

The attack was in retaliation to stone pelting done by pro-Kannada activists at a lorry with a Maharashtra number plate in the border district of Belagavi on the same day.