BENGALURU: BMTC has previously too faced complaints of harassment against women by crew members. However, lack of substantial evidence and formal complaints have allowed for BMTC employees to go scot-free.
In 2012, two Bhutanese women were allegedly molested and manhandled by a bus driver and conductor in a moving BMTC bus. In 2014, a BMTC driver allegedly molested a 23-year-old college student in a moving bus in south Bengaluru.
In February 2016, a college girl was locked up in a bus after being verbally abused by the conductor in Yelahanka.
Need for CCTV cameras
The most recent incident of alleged harassment has once against highlighted the need for better surveillance in BMTC buses to ensure safety of women passengers.
On December 5, Express reported that BMTC had sought Rs 52.52 crore from the Union government under the Nirbhaya Fund to install CCTV cameras in buses. BMTC officials said they are yet to receive the funds from the Centre for the same.
In 2013, BMTC had announced that CCTV cameras would be installed in all its buses following the gang-rape incident in New Delhi. “We have already installed CCTV cameras in 500 buses as a pilot project with digital video recording facilities. A proposal has been sent for Rs 52.52 crore financial assistance for three CCTV cameras per bus in 6,500 buses with DVR facilities under the ‘Nirbhaya fund’” said a senior BMTC official.
BMTC chairman Nagaraja Yadav said, “We also met several Union ministers to allocate funds to install CCTV cameras. We are waiting for funds to install the CCTV cameras.”