Bengaluru Metro news: Resident claims labourer not allowed to travel over clothes

Bengaluru metro officials stopped a man at a station and asked him to stitch the top two buttons of his shirt, a co-passenger claimed.

Bengaluru Metro News: In yet another incident related to alleged discrimination at the Bengaluru Metro, a man working as a labourer was allegedly stopped from boarding a train because of his worn-out shirt, which had the top two buttons missing, a resident claimed on social media.

The BMRCL clarified that the man was in an inebriated state and was allowed to travel after officials counselled him. (@TotagiR/X)

The incident allegedly occurred on Sunday at the Doddakallasandra metro station on the ‘Green’ line of the BMRCL's Namma Metro. The social media user wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that a labourer was stopped at the metro station and asked to stitch up the top two buttons of his shirt. The resident said the incident unfolded in front of him.

Tagging the official account of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) as well as Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, the user wrote, "Location Doddakallasandra metro. One more incident of cloth/attire related incident happened in front of me just now. A labourer was stopped & told to stitch up his top two buttons… When did Namma metro became like this?”

The post had over a thousand views at the time this article was written, and triggered a discussion on the social media site.

While an X user questioned the authenticity of the incident, another replied with, “What you have seen is half cooked, and I also inquired about the passenger today. His mouth smelled of alcohol consumption. The staff stopped him aside to check, and then, when he realised that he was drunk yesterday, they let him travel.”

However, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Lt (BMRCL) clarified that the man was in a drunken state when he entered the security check of metro station. S statement from BMRCL said, “On April 7, 2024, around 7:34 PM at Doddakallasandra Metro Station, a person was detected with alcohol smell during security check. After confirming the smell, the security guard engaged with the individual to assess his condition to travel without disturbing other passengers. The individual admitted to drinking earlier in the day.”

The metro department further said that the passenger was allowed to travel later. “Upon evaluating the individual's condition, the security guard then allowed him to travel keeping in mind the safety and comfort of other passengers. Issue as stated is not on his attire,” said BMRCL further.