A passenger travelling from Mysuru to Koppal was allegedly assaulted by a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) after he requested the TTE to speak in Kannada, marking yet another language-related incident in Karnataka.
The incident took place on April 24 aboard the Mysuru-Hubballi Hampi Express. Mahmad Basha Attar, a resident of Bhagyanagar in Koppal district, was travelling in the S-3 coach.
According to Basha, when the TTE arrived to check tickets, he politely asked him to communicate in Kannada. The TTE reportedly responded that he did not know the language. “I began recording the interaction, but the TTE suddenly slapped me and threw away my phone,” Basha told the reporters.
The situation escalated until a senior official, Dixit, stepped in. “Even though the senior tried to calm things down, the TTE refused to cooperate and insisted he would speak only in Hindi. He even threatened to file a case against me, alleging that I was obstructing his duties,” Basha added.
The next day, Basha complained to the station manager’s office in Koppal.
Earlier that week, a separate incident surfaced where an Air Force officer alleged assault by a local biker en route to Bengaluru Airport. The officer claimed he and his wife were verbally abused in Kannada and attacked. However, CCTV footage later contradicted his claims, showing the officer physically attacking the biker. An FIR was subsequently filed against the officer.