Kalaburagi, 5 July

A video circulating on social media shows a Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) bus driver navigating a pitch-dark road without headlights while the conductor used a mobile phone torch to light the way. The incident reportedly occurred on the last KKRTC bus on the 90-kilometre Kalaburagi–Chincholi route.

Opposition parties lashed out at the Karnataka Congress government over the incident. The JD(S), posting on X, blamed administrative failure for the driver endangering passengers' lives and accused Congress of treating the Kalyana Karnataka region in a "step-motherly" manner.

"The negligence of the Transport Department, which is playing with the lives of innocent passengers, is highly condemnable," it said, demanding immediate action against officials involved. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also slammed the State government.

The Karnataka government currently owes Rs 4,573 crore in Shakti scheme reimbursements to its four state road transport corporations. The delay has reportedly choked operational cash flows, triggering spare-parts shortages and compromising fleet maintenance across regional depots.