Guwahati, April 1: In a distressing event, a student from Assam was allegedly assaulted by the staff of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) in a passenger bus for not having a bus ticket.
After the incident came to light, the Bengaluru Bus Travellers Association on Monday extended support to the Assamese student and said, “The student had boarded the bus along with the checking inspector of BMTC. How is it possible for him to obtain the ticket immediately after boarding? If the student had not bought the ticket, they could have collected the fine from him.”
A member of the association said, “We have been making efforts to promote travel on public transport, especially buses. The alleged assault on the student, who is from a different state and does not know Kannada, is not acceptable.”
The incident took place on March 25 when the student, identified as Kamrul Hoque, boarded the bus and was assaulted by the checking inspector for not having a ticket. He further said that they took advantage of him when they learned that he is from Assam and does not know Kannada.
He said that BMTC staff harassed him and took away Rs. 450 from him. “I was travelling from Belanduru gate to Sarjapura police station at 6 pm on 25/3/2024. They physically assaulted me. I am from Assam and they took the advantage for not knowing Kanada," he posted on X.
The following day, the student lodged a complaint with Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayanad on March 26.
When Kamrul posted the entire incident on X platform, BMTC was quick to respond and assured that an inquiry would be launched and necessary action would be taken against the offender.
