The Tamil Nadu government has amended its Motor Vehicle Act to improve the safety of passengers, especially women, on public transport. The amendments, passed August 17, are made to the clause relating to the duties of a conductor as enshrined in the Act. The amendment provides strict measures against male passengers who harass others on the bus in any form.

Under the original Motor Vehicle Act, the driver was not permitted to dismount a passenger from a vehicle except “for good and sufficient cause”. However, according to the amendment, a driver can either drop a passenger or hand them over at any police station en route “if a male passenger traveling in the vehicle attempts or commits an obscene act, such as staring , leering, whistling, winking or sexually”. offensive gestures or singing songs, uttering words, taking pictures or videos or any other form of electronic communication that causes embarrassment or harassment of a female passenger or girl, engaging in any other form of misconduct with intent to offend the modesty of female passengers traveling in the vehicle”.

The changes also strictly express the appropriate behavior expected of drivers. The law now prohibits drivers from touching any female passenger “under the false pretense that he is helping her get in or out of the vehicle (sic)”. The driver is now also prohibited from asking inappropriate questions about “a female or girl passenger’s intention to travel or making physical contact, sexual remarks/comments/jokes involving sexual overtures importunate and explicit”. In addition, the driver may not behave in a manner likely to disturb a passenger, the amendment to the law specifies.

Drivers are also required to remove any male passenger from their seat and ask them to get off the bus if they have made sexual advances to a female passenger, after appropriate investigation with other passengers. The rules also require the driver to keep a complaints register, in which passengers can register complaints against him if he fails to perform his duties. This complaint booklet should be produced to a motoring authority or the police if the need arises.

Additionally, if a male passenger is found to have sexually harassed other passengers, the driver should drive the vehicle to the nearest police station and file a complaint against the accused passenger.

(With IANS entries)