Cop slaps woman conductor, passengers drag him to station

All hell broke loose at the Dasarahalli bus stop near Vijayanagar after a police sub-inspector slapped a woman BMTC bus conductor during the peak hours on Tuesday morning. The incident sparked a traffic snarl lasting 45 minutes on the busy stretch.

Eye-witnesses said that around 9.20 am, Magadi Gurusiddappa Sanjeev Murthy, a sub-inspector attached to Seshadripuram (Law and Order), was on his way to duty. When a BMTC bus (65B/2) plying between Basaveshwarnagar and Banashankari pulled in at the Dasarahalli bus stop, passengers scrambled to board it. Murthy, who was riding his department motorcycle (KA-01-G-4578), overtook the bus and started honking vehemently. With the bus not budging an inch, he started shouting at conductor Shailaja to move the vehicle to the corner. When she asked him to wait for a minute, Murthy parked his bike, got into the bus and abused and assaulted Shailaja. He then turned his anger towards driver Lingaraju.

Angered by the cop’s high-handedness, the bus passengers pulled Murthy inside the Pushpak bus and locked the door. They ordered the driver to head straight to the nearest police station, all the while rebuking him for his behaviour.

When the bus reached the Vijayanagar police station, Murthy tried to wriggle out. But the passengers overpowered him, dragged him into the station, and saw to it a case was registered against him.

The situation calmed down after senior police officers arrived at the station and promised action against Murthy.

Driver Lingaraju told Deccan Herald, “It was a different type of journey altogether. I was thrilled by the overwhelming support of so many passengers and passersby.”

Freak accident

In a freak accident, a first-year B Com student was allegedly electrocuted while answering a call on a landline telephone at his Subramanyapura residence on Tuesday morning.

Police gave the name of the dead as Manjunath, 20, a student of Dayananad Sagar College. According to Manjunath’s family, the boy rushed to pick a call, and the moment he held the receiver to his ears, he collapsed and died.

Police said the high-tension wires passing in front of Manjunath’s house could be the culprit.
There is a possibility of the HT wires accidentally coming in contact with the BSNL wires, some parts of which may have faulty insulation, police said quoting electricians.

Police have registered a case of unnatural death.