BENGALURU: The Karnataka Police have arrested a bus conductor of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) for allegedly assaulting a female passenger.
The arrested conductor has been identified as Honnappa Nagappa Agasar.
According to the police, the victim, 24-year-old Tanzula Ismail Peerzade, in her complaint said that the incident took place on Tuesday morning when she was travelling from Bilekahalli to Shivajinagar on a BMTC bus.
Tanzula said that the conductor refused to issue her a ticket despite her repeated requests.
"Subsequently, I requested the driver to stop the bus near a police station to file a complaint... the conductor approached me, hurled abuses, grabbed my clothes, pulled my hair, and slapped me. When I attempted to record the incident on my mobile phone, he snatched it from me and threw it away, " the complainant said.
Tanzula further claimed that the conductor also threatened her.
Following her complaint, the police arrested the accused conductor. However, police sources said that the accused shared a different account of the incident.
The conductor claimed that he asked for the victim's Aadhar card to issue her a free ticket. However, she did not show her Aadhar card even after two stops. "When I requested her to either show the Aadhar card or purchase a ticket, the woman became furious, engaged in an argument, and slapped him first, " the accused told the police.
Police have registered a case under IPC Sections 354, 323, 506, and 509. They are conducting an investigation to verify the statements of the accused and the victim.
Meanwhile, a video of the incident captured by a co-passenger went viral on social media.
Notably, under the Shakthi Guarantee Scheme, women from Karnataka can travel free of cost on BMTC and KSRTC buses by showing a valid government identity card.