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Karnataka transport minister writes to Bengaluru police commissioner after repeated attacks on BMTC staff
Karnataka transport minister Ramalinga Reddy instructed Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda to take strict action against the culprits
After multiple attacks on the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) crew in the city over the last few days, Karnataka transport minister Ramalinga Reddy instructed city police commissioner B Dayananda to take strict action against the culprits. BMTC MD R Ramachandran also met the top cop and explained the recent attacks on the bus staff.
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In a letter to B Dayananda, Reddy said, “There have been a high number of incidents where miscreants attacked BMTC staff. FIRs have been lodged in different police stations. I request you to take strict action against the accused and such incidents should not be repeated as the safety of BMTC staff is our priority.”
Repeated incidents in Bengaluru
In less than a month, three such incidents were reported in Bengaluru. Last week, a bus conductor was assaulted during his lunch break near the Tin Factory bus stop. The attack followed an altercation with a passenger three days earlier regarding the use of a monthly pass. The conductor received medical attention at C. V. Raman Hospital, and a case was registered later.
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In another incident, a man named Harish Sinha attacked BMTC bus staff by pulling a knife from his bag and stabbing the latter. The conductor immediately jumped out of the bus and locked him inside. Sinha, a BPO employee, later destroyed the whole bus after smashing it with a hammer he was carrying. The scary video went viral on social media, and the passengers onboard panicked and stepped out of the bus.
In a separate incident, a BMTC conductor was suspended after a viral video showed him physically confronting a passenger over a ₹5 change dispute. He was heard demanding the passenger to speak in Kannada. One of the BMTC staff members also requested the corporation to provide them licensed guns for their safety.
