The Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is mulling lodging a complaint against a man, who urinated on a woman co-passenger’s seat in an inebriated state while travelling in a government bus, sources said on Thursday.
The incident involving a 32-year-old man, a mechanical engineer, took place on February 21 in a non-sleeper bus en-route to Mangaluru from Vijayapura.
In a statement on Thursday, the KSRTC said that the driver and conductor tried to get the information about the passenger who had urinated in the bus. But the accused apologised and did not disclose his personal details. As the woman passenger refused to register a complaint, the bus continued with the scheduled journey.
According to eyewitnesses, the man urinated on the seat of a 20-year-old woman when the bus was stopped for dinner in Kiresur near Hubballi city.
The young woman had alighted to have food and on returning, she found the accused urinating on her seat and raised an alarm. Sources said that when the incident took place the bus was empty and people rushed in on hearing the commotion.
The official clarification regarding the incident by KSRTC said, “Upon receiving the complaint, the statements of Mangaluru-Depot 2, Bus No KA 19 F 3554 driver Santhosh Mathapati and conductor Umesh Kardi, who were on duty in Vijayapura- Mangaluru Bus, have been taken into account. From their statements, it is found that, the bus plying en-route had unreserved passengers in the berth number 3 and berth number 29.
“The crew of the bus gave a scheduled refreshment and nature call break at Kiresuru Hotel at 10.30 p.m. and informed the passengers about a 15-20 minute break.
In the break time, an unreserved passenger traveling in berth number 29, who was intoxicated, instead of coming out of the bus went near berth No 3 and was found urinating on seat number 3.
The action was witnessed by a female passenger who was boarding the bus from the break, and she was supposed to sleep on the same seat.
The driver, conductor, and other passengers confronted the passenger, got him off the bus and left him near the hotel.
Berth number 3 was washed with water and wiped with a cloth by the driver and conductor and the female passenger was requested to travel in berth number 9.”
KSRTC also clarified that the claim that a passenger in the bus had urinated on a young woman is incorrect.
Sources said that the bus crew helped and assured the woman passenger of security and safety after the incident. Eyewitnesses said that the woman passenger was in a state of shock after the incident.
The accused, not in his senses, had got into an argument with the co-passengers and the bus crew as well. However, the victim lady refused to lodge a police complaint in this regard, sources said.
The authorities said that as the lady was not willing to lodge a complaint, the journey was continued. Sources explain that the victim lady travelled from Vijayapura to Hubballi.
The accused was travelling from Vijayapura to Mangaluru and he is a mechanical engineer, sources said.
The authorities are contemplating lodge a complaint regarding the incident to give a message to women travelers, sources said.
