BMTC: Road Rage Escalates: BMTC Driver and Conductor Assaulted on Tannery Road

Bengaluru: Driving a bus on the city roads, navigating through heavy traffic is already a stressful deal. To add to this misery, bus crew are also falling victims to road rage incidents. AND BMTC electric bus driver and conductor were assaulted by two scooter-borne individuals on Tannery Road Saturday evening. The police are on the lookout for the duo.
They suspected the assistants were incensed by the bus obstructing their path on the narrow road. The bus crew said the duo was drunk. According to the complaint filed by the driver, Gagan MV, 27, the incident occurred around 5.30pm.
Gagan and conductor Shivakumar work in depot 30. They were assigned to drive the bus on the route number 290E/26, from Yelahanka to Shivajinagar. When the vehicle stopped at the Canara Bank bus stop on Tannery Road, the two individuals got off their scooter and entered the bus. They began to verbally abuse and physically assault Gagan. They twisted his hand and punched him in the face.
The conductor tried to intervene, but was dragged outside and forced to stand in front of the bus. The assailants then proceeded to punch him in the face, neck, and waist before escaping. The entire incident was recorded by the CCTV camera installed in the bus.
The line-checking staff members present on Tannery Road learned about the incident and took the driver and conductor to Bowring hospital. Although neither of them suffered bleeding injuries, the conductor sustained an injury to his nose. The two are undergoing treatment.
An MLC (Medico-Legal Case) intimation was sent to the police. According to BMTC, the CCTV footage from the vehicle is currently being examined to gather more information.
According to transport minister Ramalinga Reddy, the duo was drunk and were angry that the driver honked at them when they were not giving way to the bus. “A month ago, a man sacked from a private firm stabbed a conductor for telling him not to stand on the footboard. Recently, a person hit the staff with a brick. I am going to write to the police commissioner to take action against those assaulting govt staff, including BMTC staff, and ensure that they land in jail. Only then will people learn a lesson. I have instructed the MD to go and personally meet the police commissioner and deliver my letter,” he said.