Bus burnt in wake of denial of berth to BJP leader

Hubli, May 30 (UNI) Hooligans burnt a transport bus, while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists protested violently against denial of Ministerial berth to Jagadish Shetter in Hubli-Dharwad twin cities today.

Police said four youth on two motor cycles torched the bus by pouring petrol inside the bus. The bus broke down and the passengers and the conductor had alighted to look for alternative transport.

The miscreants asked the driver, who was in the vehicle, to get down and set it on fire.

Earlier, angry activists pelted stones on State Transport buses even as Hubli-Dharwad City Municipal Corporation (HDMC) Mayor and Council members threatening to resign enmass in protest against denial of berth to Mr Shetter, who had been the Revenue Minister in the JD(S)-BJP coalition government.

Sporadic incidents of the stone pelting in Keshwapur and Vidyanagar areas were reported, police said.

Leader of BJP in HDMC Veeranna Savadi said all the members would resign enmass if Mr Shettar was not included in the Cabinet. He said injustice was meted out to north Karnataka region by Mr Yeddyurappa.

UNI XR MSP-RS VV KK BST2234