Kerala State Human Rights Commission has summoned Suresh Kallada, owner of Kallada Travels, in the complaint over his employees assaulting three passengers in the bus during a trip from Kerala to Bengaluru.
The Commission’s judicial member P Mohandas, in the order, has asked Suresh Kallada to appear before the Commission’s sitting, which is to be held on May 29 at the government guest house in Kozhikode.
In the incident, which happened on Sunday, three passengers were manhandled and made to forcibly get off from the bus in the wee hours by the staff of Kallada Travels. A total of seven people have already been arrested by the Maradu police in Kochi in connection with the case.
The Commission has told the Kochi City Police Commissioner that the case needs to be enquired by a police officer not less than the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP). The Commission has also sought a report from Kochi City Police Commissioner and Transport Commissioner. Both of them will have to submit separate inquiry reports within three weeks.
The Commission issued the order on the complaint received by a Kozhikode native. In the complaint, it is said that this was not an isolated incident in Kallada Travels.
In the wake of this incident, the state Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has tightened its reins and started “Operation Night Riders” from Wednesday. The operation has been launched to keep a check on private buses that operate to and from Kerala. It will also monitor the functioning of various ticket-booking agencies of these buses.
Round-the-clock squads have been formed in all districts in the state under a Motor Vehicles Inspector. “These squads will work 24x7 and will check all the buses as well as booking offices of these buses,” Rajeev Puthalath, the Joint Transport Commissioner of the state, had told TNM earlier.
These squads will also check the luggage compartment of these buses plying between states, to check whether these vehicles are carrying any illegal load.