Bengaluru: Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has suspended a conductor for allegedly assaulting a passenger following a verbal altercation, after a video clip of the Aug 2 incident went viral on social media.The footage shows the conductor, Krishna Murthy, assaulting and kicking a man, causing him to fall onto the road, before reboarding the bus.Murthy was on duty aboard BMTC bus KA-57 F-1104 of depot 43, operating between Nelamangala and KR Market. The suspension took effect Tuesday afternoon pending a departmental inquiry.In a statement, BMTC said it has taken the incident seriously and ordered an immediate probe to ascertain the facts. The inquiry will examine statements from the conductor, the passenger and eyewitnesses, besides reviewing CCTV footage from the bus, if available, and other evidence.A BMTC official said bus crew are expected to behave courteously with passengers and that manhandling commuters is unacceptable. According to the conductor, the passenger had boarded the bus in an inebriated condition and was misbehaving with other commuters. When he was asked to get off the bus, an argument allegedly escalated into physical assault.The official said the conductor should have stopped the bus and sought assistance to remove the passenger instead of using force.
