Bengaluru: A shocking incident has come to light from Karnataka's Bengaluru. A commuter from the Northeast living in Bengaluru was allegedly slapped and verbally abused by a conductor inside a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus (registration KA-57 F-4029) running from Devanahalli to Majestic over a ticket dispute.
A video of the commuter confronting the conductor has surfaced and is going viral on social media. Reportedly, the non-Kannada-speaking young man boarded the bus and waited for the conductor to issue a ticket; however, the conductor allegedly did not approach him.
When a checking squad later boarded the bus, the passenger was fined ₹420 for travelling without a valid ticket. This led to an argument that escalated, with the conductor allegedly slapping the commuter.
The man claims that he is not a frequent bus traveller and therefore was unaware that he needed to proactively approach the conductor to purchase a ticket.
The video shows the man confronting the conductor in Hindi, asking, "Sir, aapka naam bata dijiye, police station ja raha hoon," which roughly translates to, "Tell me your name, I am going to the police station."
The conductor responds in Kannada. The man then asks, "Aapne maara kaise mujhe?" which means, "How could you hit me?"
The conductor continues speaking in Kannada. The man replies, "Language pe mat aaiye sir, this is India, you are Indian." He can be heard repeatedly asking the conductor for his name. The man then raises his voice at the conductor, prompting him to leave. The man also claimed that the assault left a mark on his face.
The video was posted by the victim himself on X. According to his X account, "HR SINGS," he is a musician who opened the account “in the hope of getting justice.”
When a user on X asked him why he did not respond to the assault with physical violence, he replied: "Fear of retaliation. As someone from the Northeast living in Bengaluru, I'm aware of the potential risks. If I had retaliated physically, it's likely he would have responded with more aggression, possibly even bringing in goons. Fearing for my safety, I chose to handle the situation in a civil manner instead."
After the video went viral, BMTC confirmed that the grievance had been registered under docket number BMTC2025011158. However, the corporation has not yet released an official statement reagrding the incident.
