A public dispute between the Thiruvananthapuram Mayor and a driver of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus has become the talk of the State. The incident in question took place on April 27 night. Mayor Arya Rajendran, her husband Sachin Dev MLA and some other female relatives were travelling in a private car, and it was not at all an official trip but personal. The dispute started when the bus driver Yedu did not allegedly give way to the Mayor’s car when the latter tried to overtake. At last, when the bus was stopped allegedly at a traffic light, the Mayor’s car was cross-parked in front of it. The bus driver also claimed that he could not recognise Mayor Arya and her MLA husband.
Yedu claimed that MLA entered the bus and asked the passengers to alight. In the meantime, the Mayor alleged that Yedu made sexually suggestive gestures towards her and her female relative.
But, now the CCTV visuals of the dispute between the Mayor and bus driver Yedu are in the public domain; hence, the Mayor’s arguments are proved wrong. The visuals show that the Mayor’s vehicle was parked, blocking the movement of the bus. The blocking has occurred at the zebra cross. And both had engaged in a heated exchange of words. The CCTV visuals have also demolished the police version. Police and the Mayor had been maintaining that she and her MLA husband had talked to the driver when the vehicle was stopped at the traffic light. They had insisted that the car was not stopped, disturbing his (KSRTC driver’s) duty.
Yedu rejected the Mayor’s complaint that he had made sexually suggestive gestures. He alleged that the Mayor’s husband forced the passengers to alight from the bus.
Initially, KSRTC took action against driver Yedu sans any sort of inquiry into the incident. KSRTC Executive Director-Vigilance has issued instructions to keep Yedu away from the assignment. The Assistant Transport Officer (ATO) in Thiruvananthapuram KSRTC bus station has been instructed not to assign Yedu until further instructions. And, Yedu was asked to appear before the District Transport Officer (DTO) and submit the explanation. It is to be noted that Yedu is not a permanent employee of KSRTC but an empanelled employee.
But, even though the first complaint before the police was filed by Yedu, police did not register any case against the Mayor and her husband. Police reportedly opined that his complaint did not carry any substance, but only a trick to defend the Mayor’s complaint. This is blatant favouritism. Yedu told the media that he is a poor man and driving job is his bread and butter. CPM State Secretary M V Govindan has come out in support of the Mayor and Sachin Dev MLA. Now, the KSRTC is in a mood to make the driver a scapegoat. Blocking the KSRTC bus on the way is a criminal offence. Even though there are CCTV cameras on the KSRTC bus, police have not checked if the Mayor’s allegation is genuine. The Mayor still insists that she complained against Yedu for his anti-woman gestures. However, the police have not taken action in connection with Yedu’s complaint about obstructing the bus on the way.
Experts state that if Yedu had made sexually suggestive gestures, it would have been impossible to see it from a running car. The incident speaks out that under CPM rule, party men and party leaders call the shots; poor people are always at the receiving end.
