Bus passenger wearing smelly socks arrested for 'causing public nuisance'

In a bizarre incident, a passenger travelling in a bus in India was arrested by the police on Saturday after his smelly socks caused a dispute between him and fellow passengers.

Prakash Kumar, a tourist, who was travelling from Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh state to the Indian capital Delhi on the intervening night of 26 and 27 November, had removed his shoes and socks and the stench from the socks was so unbearable that co-passengers asked him to put the socks in his bag or throw them away, the Hindustan Times reports.

Kumar allegedly refused to do either which led to an altercation between him and the other passengers on the bus.

They then forced the driver to stop at a police station in Himachal Pradesh, where Kumar was handed over to the police, according to The Tribune.

Kumar was charged with "causing a public nuisance". Superintendent of police Sanjeev Gandhi confirmed that Kumar was booked on complaints from fellow passengers. Kumar had also created a ruckus at the police station, Gandhi added.

Kumar later filed a counter-complaint against the other passengers and the bus crew alleging harassment and claiming that his socks were not stinking and that they had quarrelled with him for no reason.

According to the BBC, police said Kumar had been granted bail and that he left the area in another bus a day later.