BENGALURU: Mohammed Tousif may have rightfully demanded `3 from a BMTC bus conductor, after he bought a ticket to board the bus and failed to get the change.In return, Tousif was beaten up by the bus driver and conductor on Saturday night, after an argument over why he was demanding this small sum.

The injured Tousif, 21, is an electrician from Bihar, who works at a construction site near Tin Factory. He left his workplace around 9.30pm and boarded a bus, and bought his ticket. When the conductor did not return the change due to him, he started arguing with the conductor.

In a fit of anger, the driver and conductor attacked Tousif,and banged his head against a pole in the bus, used as a support by commuters.Fellow passengers came to Tousif’s rescue and took him to a nearby hospital. After treatment for minor injuries on his head, HAL police recorded his statement.Based on the victim’s statement, Venkatachalapathi, the conductor, and Rajesh, the driver, were arrested.

They are attached to depot number 41 in Gunjur, near Varthur, and are residents of KR Puram.When TNIE contacted depot manager Nataraj BP, he said he was not aware of any suchincident, but also said that he would take action against his staff for assaulting a commuter over a trivial issue.