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38-year-old woman fined for pelting stones at state-run bus in Karnataka
A 38-year-old woman was fined ₹5,000 for pelting stones on a state-run bus near Munirabad in Karnataka’s Koppal district
Bengaluru
A 38-year-oldwoman was fined ₹5,000 for allegedly pelting stones at a Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) bus near Munirabad in Karnataka’s Koppal district, officials said on Monday.
The woman, identified as Lakshmi , a resident of Papanalli village near Ilakal went to visit a temple at Huligi in the district and was waiting to board a bus at Hosalingapur village for about four hours. When the bus passed by and did not stop, she allegedly started pelting stones at it, officials said.
“The woman who pelted stones at the bus wanted to go to Ilkal. Instead of waiting for the bus in the direction where she wanted to go, the woman was standing in the opposite side of the road. A glass was broken due to stone pelting. Fortunately, the stone did not fall inside the bus. Otherwise, passengers would have been injured,” the manager of the bus driver’s company, Mukkanna Kukanur, said.
Lakshmi pelted stones at a KKRTC bus with the registration number KA 35 F 252, damaging the glass window of the vehicle. Lakshmi said that she was enraged after many buses passed in front of her, while she waited for about four hours amid rains at the bus stop.
Soon after the incident, the bus driver Muthappa, along with Lakshmi, drove to the Munirabad Police Station. While the driver wanted to lodge a complaint, the Hospet bus depot manager sought a fine of ₹5,000. Lakshmi was given a stern warning that a case would be registered against her if she refused to pay the fine.
The woman later apologised for the mistake and appealed to the police to not file a complaint against her. She then paid a fine of ₹5,000 and left in the same bus, police said.
The incident has come to light when the Congress-led government in Karnataka, has launched the ‘Shakti’ scheme, making bus travel free for all women from the state. Chief minister Siddaramaiah on June 11, launched the Shakti scheme - the first of the five poll guarantees rolled out by the Congress government.
According to officials, all women, including girl students, without any discrimination on the basis of caste, religion caste, can avail the facility. Gender minorities are also included in the scheme.
As a result, there has been a surge in the number of women passengers in several places. The number of people travelling in state-run buses has increased to an average of 84.1.5 lakh per day to 1.05 crore after the implementation of ‘Shakti’ scheme, according to state government data.
