December 14, 2011

Kerala bus attacked near Hosur; Mullaperiyar row turns ugly

With the Mullaperiyar issue causing a considerable strain in the relation between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, one or two incidents of violence have been reported. The recent one being when a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus was attacked by unidentified men. Stones were pelted on the bus near the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border in Hosur. The police escorted the bus till Krishnagiri till it was deemed safe for travel.

The bus was coming from Kerala to Bangalore in the wee hours of Friday when the incident happened. The men started pelting stones when the bus was passing through Melumalai ghat section between Hosur and Soolagiri town in Krishnagiri. The front glass of the bus was shattered in the attack and the driver stopped the vehicle after passengers raised an alarm.

There has been reports of violence against Keralites in Tamil Nadu with incidents of vandalism on commercial establishments owned by Keralites. Violence have been perpetrated on Tamilians as well, with pilgrims from TN targetted in Sabarimala.

In spite of police allaying the fears of passengers, they refused to continue their journey. They only relented after police promised to escort them till the state border in Hosur. The passengers feared that they might be targeted again. Following this disturbing incident, the Krishnagiri district police have decided to provide escort for all Kerala buses headed to Bangalore through Hosur from the toll gate in Krishnagiri.

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