An elderly man was thrashed by woman in a bus in Karnataka on Thursday for allegedly misbehaving with her and touching her hands.
The incident happened on a bus (KA-51-F-4452) belonging to the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) that was travelling to Bangarapet from Kolar. According to the woman, the man allegedly misbehaved with her and touched her hands and even kissed them.
Initially, the woman tried to ignore the man, but confronted him later after he continued misbehaving with her. The man claimed that it was mistake, but the situation escalated after the woman decided to thrash him.
Man apologises, flees from scene
The woman was joined other passengers aboard the bus following which the man apologised. "I also have a wife and children, please let me go," he told the woman.
As the situation continued to escalate, the man, whose identity has not been revealed, decided to get off the bus and fled from the scene.
A video of the incident has also gone viral on social media that showed the woman thrashing the man after he repeatedly kept misbehaving with her and tried to touch her inappropriately.
No case has been filed against the man as of now.
Safety concerns for women
However, the incident has sparked concerns over women's safety on public transport in the state once again. In Karnataka, women are provided free bus rides under the Shakti Scheme. For this, women are issued smart cards that allows them to travel free in state-run buses more effectively.
"The Congress government in Karnataka has improved people's lives through its five guarantee schemes. Crores of women are benefiting from the Shakti Scheme (that provides free bus travel for women) and passenger numbers have increased by about 40 per cent since the scheme was introduced," Karnataka Minister Byrathi Suresh said in a statement in July.
He had also stated that the state government will purchase around 1,000 buses using state funds, while 4,000 electric buses will be procured with Centre's assistance. These buses will be purchased in phases and distributed among the four transport corporations.
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