An attempted suicide by a female colleague triggered protests by more than 100 Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) drivers and conductors working out of the Sumanahalli Depot on Thursday afternoon.
According to the woman’s colleagues, alleged harassment by the depot manager and other senior staff was the reason that drove her to taking the extreme step.
The 33-year-old conductor had attempted suicide by consuming poison inside the depot premises and is currently undergoing treatment at a depot hospital, where her condition is reported to be stable.
Reports suggest that she was working with the BMTC for the last 14 years and was posted in the same depot for the last six years.
For the last six years, she had been doing the 6am-1pm shift but on Thursday, she was reportedly told by the Depot Manager, Prashanth to be on a 12-hour shift from 8am-8pm as she was purportedly not bringing enough revenue.
“Jyothi had come to work for the first shift even on Thursday but the manager did not assign her duty and asked her to report for the general shift. Jyothi told him that she had a three-year-old child and requested him not to change her shift timings. However, the manager did not pay heed. After waiting for a few hours, Jyothi consumed poison in the depot around 1.30pm. The depot staff rushed her to a nearby hospital. Other drivers and conductors boycotted work and staged a protest demanding suspension of the manager,” a conductor told The New Indian Express.
Protesters alleged that the depot manager was harassing other employees as well for not bringing enough revenue. They accused the depot manager of not granting leaves and also of tweaking the shift timings of employees.
The protests led to the cancellation of around 80 trips, reports said. The protests were called off only at 9pm after senior BMTC staff came to the station and assured swift action.