Incidents of violence on Karnataka bus routes causes panic among travellers

Terror has been unleashed on the NH -17 route for Goa to Karnataka buses as stone pelting cases are on the rise with one driver having already succumbed to injuries and many others injured including tourists travelling in these buses.

It may be recalled that the two men whose faces could not be seen as they were hidden under helmets with tinted screen, rode near these inter-state buses and pelted stones aimed at the windscreen of the buses.

According to police, this began two weeks ago at Nayabandh in Cuncolim that incidentally is located a few hundred meters away from the police station but no driver or bus operator had filed any complaint or informed the police.

The first major incident took place on Monday night where two Goa to Bangalore buses were attacked in quick succession.

Both these buses were of Paulo Travels. The first bus was attacked by two unknown assailants who threw stones at the windscreen when it crossed the Demani junction on the national highway that falls under the jurisdiction of Cuncolim municipality. This was around 10 pm.  However, this bus that suffered damage on its windshield and front portion proceeded towards Karnataka and managed to escape the duo. The driver of this bus informed his colleague who was driving the second Goa to Bangalore bus that chose to travel at great speed to avoid meeting the two assailants they were warned of. The bus was attacked at Nayabandh junction that is after the petrol pump and is a secluded area. This was around 10.30 pm. Here again, the second bus suffered similar damage as the first bus and proceeded towards Karnataka.

The alerts from both these drivers left the driver of the third Paulo Travels bus visibly disturbed and according to passengers, the driver got nervous and decided to accelerate. The 32 year old driver, Basuraj Hiremath, a resident of Kumtha Karwar was driving the bus that left from Panjim and was heading to Hampi carrying foreign tourists from Tanzania, Russia, Yugoslavia and England and also Indians from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Goa.

He managed to pass Cuncolim and was still nervous and when he crossed the Balli Primary Health Centre(PHC) on the national highway that falls under Qupem taluka, the driver switched his lights off as he was nearing the railway overbridge in the hope that the bus would not be spotted by any assailants, if they were waiting ahead.

However, locals pointed out that the section of the road on the highway is divided into two lanes. The driver in his haste took the wrong lane by mistake and ended up crashing into the overhead pillar on the railway overbridge.

While all the patients were first shifted to the Balli PHC, 10 patients who had suffered fractures and major cuts were shifted to Hospicio hospital Margao while the driver was later shifted to Goa Medical College (Bambolim). The driver died on Tuesday due to the injuries suffered.

What shocked locals further was that on Tuesday night, two more buses were attacked in the same fashion. 

This entire episode has left commuters terrified but the police have questioned why the drivers and bus operators have remained silent.  What’s even more deafening is the silence from the state government, tourism associations and bus operators associations as the fact that tourists were travelling on these buses have raised question marks over the motive.

Police sources have said that the goods carriers are upset with the interstate bus operators as they transport goods in their luggage compartments and on top of the bus and that it deprives them of business.

The attacks have had a cascading effect as the Goan population is extremely worried about travelling via private transport to Karnataka. The recent incident where a KTC bus was burnt has only caused them further concern.

The student population based in Belgaum are particularly worried and many of the parents of these children have already started asking their wards to cancel their plans to travel by bus and that they will come themselves to pick and drop the children.

“Belgaum is not far away. I can’t imagine what I would go though if I had to find out that my child is in a bus that has been stoned and met with an accident. It’s not safe at the moment and back to back incidents make you question what the police are doing to secure the route,” said Rupa Powar whose daughter studies in Belgaum.

There are colleges in Dharward, Belgaum and Hubli and these students are known to make frequent trips to Goa and back and primarily use private Volvo buses if not the KTC buses.

“There is only so much we can do. This is our bread and butter and we know of such troubles but this time, one of our companions lost his life and another has lost his eyesight. Something has to be done at the earliest and the culprits have to be nabbed and a precedent has to be set,” asserted Suresh Velip, a driver based in Canacona.