Mangaluru: A shocking incident surfaced from Karnataka, where a contract conductor allegedly sexually harassed a young woman sleeping in the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus. The incident was recorded on a mobile camera by a fellow passenger. A video of the incident, which took place on Wednesday, has surfaced online.
The accused has been identified as Pradeep Kashappa Naikar (35) from Bagalkote. In the video shared by Telugu Scribe, it could be seen that the young girl was sleeping in the KSRTC bus plying on the Mudipu-State Bank route near Mangaluru.
The video shows the conductor standing next to the young woman and repeatedly touching the woman inappropriately and sexually harassing her.
After the video went viral on social media, the bus conductor was suspended by authorities. He was also taken into custody by Konaje police on Thursday. According to police, Naikar was caught on video "misbehaving" with a woman commuter while she was asleep.
A case has been registered against Naikar. KSRTC has not yet issued an official statement on the status of Naikar's contractual employment
The video sparked a debate about women's safety on public transport in the state.
Earlier this month, a woman travelling with her two children in a private bus was sexually assaulted by three men in Karnataka, reported the New Indian Express. The incident took place near Channapur in Vijayanagara district. The woman is a resident of Belagavi.
