Bus passenger in India arrested over stinking socks

NEW DELHI: Indian police arrested a man after his stinking socks caused an altercation in a passenger bus in the capital city.

A tourist from Bihar who was travelling from Dharamshala to Delhi in a Volvo bus has been booked for “causing public nuisance” after he allegedly got into an altercation with fellow passengers over smelly socks.

The incident took place last week when Prakash Kumar, 27, who was travelling to Delhi from Dharamshala, took off his socks and shoes in the bus.

Unable to bear the stink emanating from his socks, the fellow passengers asked the youth to either put them in his bag or throw out. Kumar, however, refused to do either, resulting in a heated exchange between him and other passengers.

The driver and conductor stopped twice or thrice to resolve the issue and asked Kumar to throw the socks but he refused to listen.

Passengers then forced the driver and conductor to pull over at Bharwain police station in Una district and lodged a complaint against Kumar, who was booked under Section 107/51 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Police registered a case of causing a public nuisance against Kumar on November 27. He was later released on surety by the sub-divisional magistrate, under whose jurisdiction the area falls.

Kumar insisted his socks did not smell and the fellow passengers started quarrel for no reason.