The flash strike by BMRCL staff that disrupted Namma Metro services for a staggering seven hours on Friday was organised overnight with two CCTV footage circulated among the employees acting as a catalyst.
The footage pertain to the scuffle between BMRCL employees and KSISF constables at the Central College Metro station on Thursday morning. The first video shows Rakesh I B, an electronics maintenance staffer with the BMRCL, entering the City Civil Court side entrance of the station without running his bag through the scanner. A KSISF woman constable monitoring the scanner reprimands him and insists that he get the bag scanned.
Rakesh is seen arguing with the woman and another KSISF officer. He finally relents and puts his bag through the scanner but continues to argue with KSISF personnel. The city police, who are investigating the case, have inferred that he was abusing the woman constable.
In the second video, Rakesh is seen walking down the stairs that lead to the station. KSISF constable Anand Guddad follows him, confronts him and slaps him, leading to a brief scuffle. Lakshman, another KSISF officer, intervenes. The woman then comes and takes two of her colleagues away.
According to police, it was a clash of egos and foul-mouthing that triggered the ugly scuffle about three hours later when 15-20 maintenance staffers of Namma Metro thrashed Guddad.
Following a complaint by Guddad, police arrested Rakesh and his colleague, Harish. Metro staffers then went on a flash strike urging the police to register a counter complaint against Guddad and release their colleagues. On Friday morning, police took a counter complaint from the BMRCL staff, registered an FIR and arrested Guddad and Lakshman.
A team of senior police officers led by Additional Commissioner of Police (East) Hemant Nimbalkar rushed to the Baiyappanahalli Metro station and addressed the agitated staff. Nimbalkar promised to call a meeting next week between the BMRCL management, the workers and other stakeholders to discuss their issues. As regards the two cases registered over Thursday’s violence, he said the law would take its own course.
Metro staff get bail
By around noon on Friday, all the four BMRCL staffers arrested in the two cases were released on bail. Police threatened to book BMRCL staffers under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (Esma) if they failed to return to work.
Published 07 July 2017, 20:17 IST