Subway security man suspended after inappropriate handling of female passenger

A video showing a subway security staffer dragging a female passenger out of a carriage in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, has sparked online controversy.

In the footage, the struggling woman is seen being dragged forcibly by the worker, causing a large portion of her body to be exposed and her personal belongings to be scattered.

As a result of the incident, Xi'an's discipline inspection commission and public security bureau carried out a joint investigation and issued a statement on Thursday.

According to Xi'an police, the female passenger surnamed Guo spoke too loudly when taking a phone call while taking Metro Line 3 to Qinglong Temple Station at 4:55pm on August 30, and another passenger surnamed Chen reminded her to behave well.

The two passengers then quarreled, leading to minor physical conflict. A subway security staffer also surnamed Chen arrived to stop the conflict and asked the two parties to get off the subway to handle their problem.

But Guo refused and kept quarreling loudly, affecting others and the public order of the subway.

When the train arrived at Dayan Pagoda Station, the security guard forcibly dragged Guo out of the carriage, causing part of her body to be exposed. Afterward, Guo returned to the carriage, tidied up her clothes and did not quarrel with others anymore. She left the train at North Zhangba Road Station at 6:05pm.

Police confirmed that the two passengers who argued in the carriage disturbed the public order. As the circumstances were relatively minor, they would not be given public security penalties but would be criticized and educated by police.

As for the security guard, his way of handling the issue was rather rude, although it didn't constitute a crime. The public security bureau ordered the security company hiring him to suspend him and do further investigation for any misconduct.

The Xi'an Commission for Discipline Inspection said the operator of Xi'an Metro needs to improve its staff training and strengthen supervision. Seven senior managers of the Metro company were punished, including three given disciplinary warnings.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Metro operator took to Weibo to explain what it claimed happened after the video went viral online. It said the female passenger quarreled with another male passenger in the carriage.

She repeatedly insulted the passengers around her, leading to physical tussles, which caused a stir on the subway train. To maintain order, Metro staff and other passengers tried to force the woman to leave the train when the subway arrived at Dayan Pagoda Station, but the woman reacted fiercely and refused to get off the train.

To ensure the safety of subway traffic, the Metro station staff called police. The woman was then accompanied by security personnel and left on her own after arriving at her destination, it claimed.

This explanation, however, raised an outcry online, with some netizens questioning whether Metro security staff have the right to act in such a rude manner. One commented: "Where are the boundaries of security duties? Did the security staff insult the passenger by dragging her?"

Other netizens thought the conflict arose because the woman swore at others first.