Amidst escalating tensions and allegations in Kerala’s much-discussed Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus incident, a critical development has emerged: the memory card of the CCTV camera installed in the KSRTC bus is missing. As this journal published on May 1, 2024, the CPM Mayor has been alleging from the very beginning that the driver, Yedu, had made sexually suggestive gestures towards herself and other female relatives in the car. Now, the memory card is missing; hence, it is not easy for Yedu to prove his innocence. As CPM, the CPM-led Democratic Front (LDF) Government and the entire establishment are hell-bent on saving the Mayor and her MLA husband, what can a poor empanelled driver do to protect himself? It is noteworthy that even though the controversial incident occurred on April 27 night, the Police attempted to seize the memory card only on May 1. Three and a half days are enough for the memory card to ‘go with the wind’. That is why Yedu alleged that CPM men might have removed it. Otherwise, why was the memory card not recovered immediately after the incident since the Mayor had raised such serious allegations against Yedu, which attracted action under IPC 354 (A)?
It is to be remembered that when Yedu went to the police authorities to lodge his complaint against the Mayor and the MLA, he was told that his fight against big people was not an easy task, so it was better to apologise to the Mayor. He called the Mayor and explained his position, but it was a futile endeavour as she was repeating her allegation. The Police were not ready to receive his complaint. Not only that, they alleged that he was trying to lodge a counter-complaint against the Mayor.
There is the allegation that the Mayor’s car tried to overtake the bus from the wrong left side. Visuals reportedly justify the allegation.
Now, since the memory card is missing, driver Yedu will find it tough to prove his innocence in connection with the Mayor’s allegation that he made sexually suggestive gestures. In other words, he is all likely to lose his job. If it happens, the CPM Mayor and her husband Sachin Dev MLA, both belonging to CPM, can take pride in stripping a poor, empanelled KSRTC driver of his job. Thus, he will be losing Rs 700 per month. Really a nice gift from a self-styled proletarian Government to a proletarian driver on an International Labour Day. KSRTC is infamous for delayed salary and pension. The missing memory card appears to be a well-orchestrated manoeuvre to trap Yedu.
Now, the media have highlighted another episode of the anti-proletarian action of the pro-proletarian comrade couple. One Chandrababu of Thiruvananthapuram explained how he lost his job. He was a private security man in the Thiruvananthapuram Passport Office premises. Here is his narration of the episode: Once, a Mayor-MLA couple came to the Passport Office and parked in the No-Parking Area. Naturally, Chandrababu objected to it. Then came the arrogant question – ‘Do you know the protocol? Do you know who we are?’ Not only that, they parked their vehicle and went in. After some time, they returned after completing their work, and within 30 minutes, Chandrababu lost his job!
