Chennai,  A conductor of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus was arrested on Friday for sexually assaulting a woman passenger.

The 21-year-old victim, along with her husband, had lodged a complaint at the Kaanai police station of Villupuram district that she was sexually assaulted by the conductor on Thursday night. In her complaint, the woman said that she had boarded the bus at Villupuram and was heading towards Kothamangalam. After other passengers alighted from the vehicle, the conductor sat next to her and assaulted her after Perumbakkam.

Villupuram district collector D. Mohan immediately suspended the arrested conductor, Silambarasan, and driver of the bus Anbu Selvan.

Kaanai police SHO told IANS said that further investigation is being carried out and the involvement of the driver is also being probed. He also said that the conductor will be further questioned on whether he had assaulted other women who had travelled in the bus during its previous trips at night.

M. Raghuvaran, a human rights activist working for the destitute women at Madurai, told IANS: "The conductor must be given maximum punishment. Both the conductor and the driver must be dismissed from service. The Chief Minister must order a detailed probe as to whether such things are happening in late-night buses of the TNSTC. This must not be the first case and needs proper investigation. CCTV cameras should be installed in all the buses so that the women can travel safely."