Attack on Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus crew reported; second within a week

BMTC bus crew attacked by two individuals in Bengaluru; driver and conductor given treatment.

Two two-wheeler riders attacked a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) conductor and a contract driver around 5.25 p.m. near the Canara Bank bus stop, close to Tannery Road in Bengaluru, on Saturday (October 26, 2024). This is the second assault on a BMTC bus crew within the span of one week.

Both the driver and conductor were treated at Bowring Hospital, and a complaint was filed at the K.G. Halli Police Station.

According to BMTC officials, the incident involved the crew of a bus from Depot 30 (North Zone), operating from Yelahanka to Shivajinagar Bus Station. Driver, Gagan, and conductor, Shivakumar, were on duty at the time.

“While the bus was making a routine stop to allow passengers to alight at the Canara Bank bus stop, two individuals on a two-wheeler entered the bus through the front door. Without any provocation, they began to verbally abuse and physically assault the driver, Mr. Gagan,” a BMTC official stated.

“In an attempt to defuse the situation, Mr. Shivakumar intervened and questioned the actions of the assailants. However, the attackers redirected their aggression towards him, dragging him out of the bus and physically assaulting him on the street,” the official claimed.

Both the driver and conductor sustained injuries during the assault and were immediately taken to Bowring Hospital for medical treatment.

On October 24, a conductor from Depot 19 was attacked during a lunch break near the Tin Factory bus stop after a dispute with a passenger that had occurred three days earlier.