Bengaluru Metro ‘denies’ man entry over unbuttoned shirt; BMRCL rejects charge
The officials suspected that he was in an inebriated state, and he was made to stand to ensure he would not trouble women and children
A man was reportedly stopped by the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) officials from boarding the metro train as his shirt was unbuttoned in Bengaluru on Tuesday (April 9).
The BMRCL staff at the Doddakallasandra Metro Station had apparently asked the man to button up his shirt and come to the metro station with clean clothes, otherwise he would not be allowed to enter the metro station.
Co-passengers to rescue
Meanwhile, the co-passengers “intervened” and one of the passengers recorded the incident and shared it on social media, as per an IANS report.
“One more cloth/attire related incident happened in front of me just now. A labourer was stopped and told to stitch up his top two buttons. When did Namma Metro become like this?” the co-passenger posted on X, tagging BMRCL and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya
Meanwhile, the BMRCL said that all passengers are treated equally.
“No differentiation will be made on the basis of whether the passengers are rich or poor, men or women. The officials suspected that the passenger was in an inebriated state, and he was made to stand to ensure he would not trouble women and children while travelling on the metro. After counselling, he was allowed to travel,” an official said.
Not the first time
Earlier, the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation had sacked a security staffer following public outcry over the BMRCL staff not allowing a farmer to board the train in the month of February.
The farmer was wearing tattered clothes and carried a bag on his head.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had sent notices to the Karnataka government and the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation over the incident. In a statement, the NHRC said it observes that “no person can be denied access to public transport based on the nature of the clothes he or she is wearing”.
The commission has taken “suo motu cognisance” of a media report that a farmer was stopped from boarding a metro train by an official at the Rajajinagar station, Bengaluru in Karnataka because his clothes were untidy. The video of the incident reportedly went viral on social media.
