BENGALURU: More than 250 BMTC buses attached to the Yeshwanthpur depot went off the road between 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm on Wednesday following a protest by the crew members against the arrest of BMTC conductor and driver for allegedly misbehaving with a woman passenger. The protesters said the allegations were baseless. The strike was called off after an assurance by the BMTC officials that a thorough probe would be conducted into the incident.
The Yeshwanthpur police had on Monday arrested a BMTC bus driver and conductor for allegedly misbehaving, kidnapping and illegally detaining a 30-year-old woman, a resident of East Bengaluru and hailing from Delhi, in Yeshwanthpur BMTC bus depot on Sunday. The arrested driver has been identified as Muttanna and conductor as Shivasawamy.
According to the police, the victim had boarded the bus from Hesaraghatta along with her husband when the alleged harassment took place. Both had monthly bus passes and when the conductor told them to furnish their ID cards, the woman produced hers, but her husband could not as he was not carrying his ID. He was made to get out of the bus, while the woman was taken to the bus depot and locked inside the bus for 20 minutes, the victim mentioned in her complaint. She also alleged that the bus doors were opened after intervention by a senior official and nearly 10 BMTC employees surrounded her and began clicking her picture without her consent, she added. On Monday the victim filed a complaint with BMTC officials and the jurisdictional police.
DCP North, T.R. Suresh said, “The arrests have been made. The bus crew had no authority to keep her locked inside the vehicle and drive it to the depot and keep her confined in it. The police have booked the two accused under Sections 341(Punishment for wrongful restraint), 363 (Kidnapping), 354 C, and 504 read with 149 of IPC.”
Workers deny charge
The striking BMTC crew members alleged that woman passenger and her husband had misbehaved with their colleagues and tried to assault them. “Both driver and conductor demanded the identity cards as per the directions issued by the corporation. Instead the duo created a scene. To protect themselves from the charges of harassing a woman passenger, they were left with no option other than present them in front of senior officials. But now the issue has been blown out of proportion to tarnish corporation’s reputation,” they alleged.
An officer, who had discussion with the agitating crew members, told this newspaper that the incident was unfortunate. “The only mistake of the driver and conductor was that they brought the woman passenger to the depot. We have appointed an investigation officer. Action will be initiated against the crew members ,” he said. Due to the three-hour long strike, thousands of passengers got stranded.
