Bus passenger who put his bare feet on seat allegedly assaults another who took photo

It must be a common sight, judging by the number of photos submitted by Stomp contributors.

Just go to the Stomp Instagram page and take a gander at the many photos of people sitting on the bus with their often bare feet resting on the opposite seat.

Stomp contributor JL took one such photo of a fellow commuter on bus service 961 and was allegedly assaulted for it.

He said it happened on Aug 19 in the morning.

"This man put his feet up on the seats," recounted the Stomp contributor, who shared the photo.

In the photo, the man can be seen with his slippers off and his bare feet on the seat opposite him. Next to him was a sign that prohibited feet on seats - with or without footwear.

"When I took pics of him, he got furious and demanded my handphone," said the Stomp contributor.

"When I refused, he rained blows on me repeatedly for a minute and challenged me to a fight. I didn't retaliate, verbally or physically, because I didn't want the hassle.

"The bus stopped. He shouted at me to get off for a fight. I sat intact. He got down after two minutes."

In Singapore, there is no law that specifically states that you need consent to take photographs of people in a public place.

Of course, voyeurism is another story.

It will generally not be a breach of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) if you are in a public place because personal data that is publicly available is not protected by the PDPA.

However, you may not want someone to "rain blows" on you either, like what the Stomp contributor claimed happened to him on the bus.

"The police told me that it would be a private prosecution, which meant I had to raise my own civil case even though I didn't retaliate and was slightly injured," said the Stomp contributor.

"This is what I want to sincerely share. The police advice in such situations is to report to the bus captain, not take pictures.

"Next, run to a safe place if the opponent gets physical and quickly call the police. Do not engage in retaliation. Note all the details like bus plate number, et cetera, if you can."

Stomp has contacted the police for more info.

He added: "I hope my post helps anyone in similar situations."

ALSO READ: Tit for tat? Man brings durians onto bus, driver turns off aircon and refuses to drive

This article was first published in Stomp. Permission required for reproduction.