After a video of a female passenger asking a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus conductor to remove his skull cap has gone viral, BMTC stated that there was no specific regulation in place to restrict bus conductors, drivers, or any other employees of the BMTC from expressing and practising their religious beliefs while fulfilling their duties at work.
“The laws and rules for the uniforms of bus conductors and drivers have been in place for the last four decades. There is no specific mention of restricting employees from wearing religious items along with uniforms,” BMTC spokesperson Latha T told South First news website.
She said: “The incident has come to our notice. It was reported about 10 days ago while a bus was going from Shivajinagar to Uttarahalli. We have not launched any investigation on the incident. No complaint has also been filed. We are not collecting identity details of the woman.”
“Even when many employees wear an Ayyappa Mala — as part of a Hindu religious observance — for 41 days (in December and January) as they are devotees of Kerala’s Sabarimala Swamy Ayyappa, we allow them and never restrict any employees from following their religious beliefs,”she said to the news website.
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) officials also said the same. “There are no specific rules restricting the bus drivers and conductors from practicing religious beliefs while on-duty. Even there are no rules on allowing it,” South First quoted KSRTC Kolar Division Controller Basavaraj V as saying.
Background
The one-and-a-half-minute clip shot by the woman herself shows her asking the conductor whether he can wear a skullcap when in uniform as a conductor. The middle-aged man politely said he could probably wear it as he has done it for many years.
“You practice your religion at home. You shouldn’t wear the skullcap when in uniform,” said the woman. The conductor responded, “I have been wearing it for many years, madam.”
The woman insists the conductor must remove his green cap, adding she won’t “object if you wear it at the mosque or your house.”
The conductor is then seen removing the skullcap in a packed bus.
Many Twitter users condemned the “harassment” of the passenger and pointed out the larger intolerance infecting the people.
 bus conductor to remove his skull cap has gone viral, BMTC stated that there was no specific regulation in place to restrict bus conductors, drivers, or any other employees of the BMTC from expressing and practising their religious beliefs while fulfilling their duties at work.){kind=link}