Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

KSRTC staff go on lightning strike

Thiruvananthapuram: Hundreds of passengers were stranded at East Fort bus stand for nearly two hours on Friday night following a lightning strike by Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) employees attached to the city depot.

The employees were protesting against the alleged police assault on a driver.

The protesting drivers parked nearly 20 buses on the road leading to the bus stand, impeding traffic on the arterial stretch from 9.45 p.m. to midnight.

The chain of events started at 9.30 p.m. when two unidentified persons assaulted a KSRTC driver for parking his bus in the no-parking area near the Gandhi Park.

The driver, Shyam, had allegedly parked his bus in a manner that impeded private vehicles from entering the pay-and-park zone inside the park.

Circle Inspector (Fort) Gopakumar said the driver was attacked by henchmen of the person who has the government contract for collecting levy from motorists parking their vehicles inside the park.

Protesting KSRTC employees accused the local police of siding with the contractor. They accused the local police of assaulting Shyam in custody.

Meanwhile, irate commuters smashed the windscreens of at least three KSRTC buses. Some of them threw stones at private vehicles that were passing by. The police said anti-social elements exploited the charged situation to create mischief and indulge in theft. Five persons lost their mobile telephones in the melee, while a few others were pickpocketed.

A KSRTC conductor, Asokan, and a passenger, who was yet to be identified, were injured in the stone-throwing.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Abdul Wahab defused the situation by assuring the striking KSRTC employees that he would order an inquiry.

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