Kochi | The Police have registered a case against a KSRTC conductor for allegedly insulting a Plus Two student by questioning her gender and issuing her a ticket on a Priyadarshini bus, on which women can travel free of charge, at North Paravur here, officials said on Monday.

The conductor, Mahesh, was also suspended following a preliminary inquiry by the KSRTC Vigilance wing.

According to police, the incident occurred last Saturday when the girl and her friends boarded the bus operating from North Paravur to Kochi.

The girl, who had tonsured her head after visiting a temple, was wearing a T-shirt and jeans.

The conductor allegedly mistook her for a boy and issued her a Rs 15 ticket.

When she requested a zero-value ticket, the conductor allegedly made insulting remarks, asking how he was supposed to know she was a girl, police said.

A case was registered on Sunday under Sections 296 and 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to obscene acts in public and words, gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman, respectively, police said.

Police said they had recorded statements from the complainant, the conductor, and some passengers.

An investigation was progressing, officials said.

Meanwhile, Mahesh told reporters on Monday that the incident was the result of a misunderstanding and that he had not insulted the girl.

He said he initially issued the Rs 15 ticket because he mistook her for a boy, but replaced it with a zero-value ticket after she clarified that she was a girl.

"I didn't realise, because seeing her made me think she was a boy. Saying 'Sorry,' I issued the Rs 15 ticket," he said, adding that a woman passenger sitting nearby had also initially thought the student was a boy.

Mahesh denied using any abusive words against the girl.

He said some passengers had also given statements to the police and expressed confidence that he would be able to prove his innocence.