In a troubling incident aboard a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus on March 27th, a female passenger allegedly assaulted by a bus conductor, leading to the suspension and arrest of the conductor. Based on the reports from Daijiworld, the conductor in question, identified as Honnappa Nagappa Agasar, was suspended by the bus operator following an altercation with a 24-year-old passenger named Tanzula Ismail Peerzade. The incident unfolded during a routine journey from Bilekahalli to Shivajinagar, where Tanzula, a non-Karnataka resident working at an apparel store on Commercial Street, resides as a paying guest.
The confrontation, captured in a video shared by BMTC, shows a heated argument between the passenger and the conductor, purportedly over a bus ticket. Matters quickly escalated when Tanzula slapped the conductor, provoking him to retaliate with multiple assaults, causing her to fall.
Tanzula also alleged that the conductor threatened her during the altercation. Subsequently, following her complaint, the police took the conductor into custody. However, police sources revealed that the conductor provided a contrasting narrative of the events.
Conductor’s point of view
According to the conductor’s account, he requested the victim for her Aadhar card to avail a free ticket. However, despite two stops passing, she purportedly failed to comply. “When I insisted on seeing her Aadhar card for purchasing a ticket, the woman became enraged, initiated a heated argument, and assaulted me first by slapping me,” the accused conveyed to the police. Meanwhile, a video of the altercation, captured by a co-passenger, gained traction on various social media platforms. The incident clearly indicates that Tanzula was engaged in a verbal altercation with the conductor and also physically assaulted him by slapping him. It raises the question as to why there are no charges against the female passenger who assaulted a government official while on duty.
In response to the incident, the police have registered a case under IPC Sections 354, 323, 506, and 509. An investigation is underway to corroborate the statements provided by both the accused and the victim. Expressing concern over the incident, a senior BMTC official acknowledged the apparent fault on the part of the conductor, emphasizing that regardless of the circumstances, resorting to physical violence was unacceptable.
After the video went viral on social media platforms, people began questioning the police department’s actions, expressing concerns over the apparent injustice. They questioned how a poor conductor could face punishment when it was alleged that an Islamist lady initiated the fight and physically assaulted a government employee on duty. Many speculated whether there was a religious bias at play.
