Namma Metro services in Bengaluru were briefly hit on Friday after employees of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd called for a shutdown, ANI reported.
Thousands of commuters stranded were left stranded when protests broke out after personnel of the Karnataka State Industrial Security Force were allegedly mishandled and five BMRCL employees were arrested on Thursday.
Metro services at the recently-inaugurated Yelchenahalli-Nagasandra route and Bayappanhalli-Nayandhalli lines were halted temporarily. They resumed following negotiations between BMRCL officials and the police.
Nearly three lakh commuters use these lines every day.
Scuffle between security and BMRCL officials
On Thursday morning, KSISF security personnel deployed at the Sir M Visvesaraya Station had arrived late for work. Consequently, the baggage scanning services could not begin at the scheduled time of 5.30 am, The Hindu reported.
When the staff was reprimanded by a BMRCL official for coming late, he is believed to have slapped the official. When the word spread, a scuffle broke out between the two sides. Two security personnel were allegedly thrashed by BMRCL employees.
The Bengaluru Police have registered a case against five metro officials and two security personnel.
Protests
Following the arrests, BMRCL officials refused to begin metro operations on Friday morning. They staged demonstrations outside the Baiyappanahalli depot. A meeting was held between KSISF and Namma Metro officials at 4 am on Friday, but the talks failed, according to India Today.
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