Woman forces Bengaluru BMTC bus conductor on duty to remove skull cap

A video of a woman passenger objecting to a Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus conductor wearing a skull cap while on duty has gone viral on social media. 

In the video, the woman can be heard repeatedly asking the bus conductor if he was allowed to wear the cap with the uniform. After a while, the conductor could be seen removing his cap. 

ಸಾರಿಗೆ ಸಚಿವರೇ #BMTC ಇಲಾಖೆಯ ಕಂಡಕ್ಟರ್‌ ನ ಮೂಲಭೂತ ಹಕ್ಕಾದ ಟೋಪಿ ಧರಿಸಿದ್ದನ್ನು ಆಕ್ಷೇಪ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಪಡಿಸಲು ಈ ಮಹಿಳೆಗೆ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿ ನೀಡಿದವರು ಯಾರು? ಸಂವಿಧಾನ ಬದ್ಧ ಹಕ್ಕನ್ನು ಕಸಿಯುವ ಮತ್ತು ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಅಡ್ಡಿ ಪಡಿಸಿದ್ದಲ್ಲದೇ ವಿಡಿಯೋ ವೈರಲ್ ಮಾಡಿ ಮಾನ ಹಾನಿ ಮಾಡಿರುವ ಮಹಿಳೆ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಇಲಾಖೆಯ ವತಿಯಿಂದ ದೂರು ದಾಖಲಿಸಿ pic.twitter.com/F4PNR6LpP9

— afsarkodlipet (@afsarkodlipet) July 12, 2023

According to a report by The Times of India, the incident took place around 10 days ago. 

BMTC officials told the publication that the incident occurred in a bus travelling from Shivajinagar to Uttarahalli, and the woman in question was a bank employee. The officials, however, declined to elaborate further.

In the video, the conductor could be heard replying to the woman that he has been wearing the cap for many years and nobody took objection. The woman responded by saying that he should practise his religion at home or in the mosque, but as a government employee, he should not wear the cap while on duty.

The viral video drew mixed reactions on social media. While some netizens supported the woman and felt she was right in asking the conductor to remove his cap, several others criticised her for her behaviour towards the conductor. Several users lauded the conductor's composure while handling the sensitive situation. 

"It was nothing but moral policing by the woman passenger and it was meant to trouble him. Throughout the video, the conductor was seen speaking to the woman politely. Conductors are often seen wearing cap, shawl and other symbols associated with their religion. Singling out someone is not good," a Twitter user posted.

"The video was recorded 10 days ago. The rules related to uniforms were framed decades ago. We have no comment on this incident. Neither the conductor nor the woman has approached us," a BMTC source told the publication.