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Violent passenger stabs BMTC bus conductor in Bengaluru; Crime sparks ‘migrant threat’ debate

Speaking to South First, Whitefield Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shivakumar said that the accused was frustrated after having lost his job.

Nolan Patrick Pinto

Published Oct 02, 2024 | 4:53 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 02, 2024 | 7:14 PM

passenger stabs BMTC bus conductor

Accused Harsha Sinha who hails from Jharkhand.

The quick thinking of a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus driver saved the life of a conductor who had been stabbed by a passenger and helped apprehend the accused.

On Tuesday, 1 October, a BMTC bus conductor was allegedly stabbed by a youngster from Jharkhand who was recently sacked from his job in Bengaluru.

At around 5.15 pm on Tuesday, a passenger identified as Harsha Sinha (25) stabbed BMTC Volvo bus conductor, Yogesh (45), after the latter asked him to move away from the doors.

Even after police said the violence stemmed from Harsha Sinha’s frustration, social media is rife with netizens claiming that migration of people from North India is causing a rise in the number of crimes in Bengaluru — a claim with no substantial proof.

Also Read: Bengaluru traffic cop goes beyond call of duty to return lost laptop

The incident

It was the quick thinking on the part of the bus driver that saved the life of Yogesh when he was attacked by Harsha on the bus from ITPL to Banashankari, according to information provided by BMTC.

Near the ITPL bus stop, Yogesh instructed Sinha to move away from the bus’s middle doors for safety reasons. It is said that the passenger reacted violently and attacked the conductor, stabbing him in a sudden burst.

The attacker also threatened other passengers and demanded they vacate the bus immediately. He also used a hammer to damage the bus’s windows and other property.

Immediately, driver Siddalingaswamy, using his presence of mind, locked the attacker inside the bus thereby ensuring the safety of all the other passengers. With assistance from passengers, he informed the police and emergency services.

The injured conductor was then shifted to Vydehi Hospital in Bengaluru for treatment and is currently out of danger. The Whitefield police who arrived at the spot arrested the accused and an investigation is currently underway.

Also Read: Prime suspect in Bengaluru Mahalakshmi murder case found dead in Odisha

‘Frustrated over job loss’

Whitefield police said the accused was a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) employee with Teleperformance and was dismissed on 20 September.

Speaking to South First, Whitefield Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shivakumar said that the accused was frustrated after having lost his job.

When asked why the accused was carrying a knife, the IPS officer said: “Sometimes you do not know how the mind of a human being works.”

“The accused has been booked under Section  307 and the court has sent him to judicial custody,” he added.

Meanwhile, several users on social media — mostly people who have been engaged in pro-Kannada activism — claimed that the issue was an indication of how migration from other states causes disturbances in Bengaluru.

“Migrant Harsh Sinha stabbed bus conductor and ran away in Bengaluru. The crimes are increasing in South states due to this over migration Few weeks back a migrant Mukti Ranjan Roy had chopped mahalakshmi into pieces and kept in fridge .Save Bengaluru,” one user wrote on X.

“He came from Jharkhand to work in Bengaluru, He is completely frustrated because of stressful job & staying away from Home. Migration require mental toughness, which everyone doesn’t have. All state govts should create jobs in their own states so that these kind incidents can be avoided,” another X user wrote.

(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)

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