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Journalism of Courage
A dramatic scuffle between a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus driver and a woman passenger on Tumakuru Road has set off a storm online after a bystander’s video went viral.
The clip, first shared on X by Karnataka Portfolio (@karnatakaportf), shows the incident near Peenya on Wednesday afternoon. In the footage, the woman appears to argue with the driver at the front entrance, then steps behind his seat and raises her hand toward him. The driver instantly slaps her back, leaving other commuters shocked.
Responding to the clip, the official Bengaluru City Police account on X said, “We have forwarded your complaint to concerned police officers for necessary action.”
The incident has ignited a fierce debate on social media over behaviour and safety on public transport. Some users sided with the driver, while others demanded accountability from both sides. One wrote, “It is the passenger who actually started manhandling. She should be arrested.” Another noted, “This would have been worse for driver if conductor was not defending in the middle… the aggressive lady deserves no less then strong penalty and punishment.”
Others took a broader view. “Mutual respect is must and don’t expect everyone to be Gandhi to show other side of face. Physical attacks to be avoided irrespective of the gender,” read one comment. A fourth person bluntly cheered the driver: “Well done driver uncle. She needs to be taught a lesson.”
This clash follows another recent BMTC controversy. Only days earlier, migrant commuter Aditya Raj Agarwal alleged that a Vayu Vajra bus driver and conductor verbally and physically assaulted him after he asked for a stop shown on Google Maps, and posted his own video tagging the police, saying he was targeted for not speaking Kannada.
