Forty eight hours after a video shows 2 passengers being assaulted and thrown out of a Kerala - Bengaluru bus by the staff of Suresh Kallada travels, the Kochi police have now issued strict directions to all private bus operators in the city. The orders include mandatory furnishing of police clearance certificates of existing staff members of these bus operators as well are their new hires.
A press release issued by the Kochi City Commissioner of Police S Surendran IPS has asked both tourist city bus operators as well are inter-state bus operators in Kochi to follow the instructions.
The police has said that names, address and contact details (phone number) of the staff are to be clearly displayed inside the bus for passengers to notice.
The press release has also asked for operators, both city tourist and inter-state, to furnish a bunch of details at the Commissioner officer on or before April 25. The details include documents of the buses, information on bus service schedules, pick and drop points of passengers, information about offices of the bus operators in the city and all details including contact number of officer and bus staff.
Most importantly, the Commissioner has ordered that the staff of the operators behave courteously and decently. “Operators have been instructed to take strict disciplinary action if the staff failed to do,” the release added.
Lastly, Commissioner has stated that the owner/operator of he bus service will be held solely responsible for all complaints with regards to the bus.
On Saturday nights, a video on Facebook showed two young male passengers travelling in Kallada bus service from Haripad to Bengaluru being assaulted and thrown out of the bus by a bunch of 3 staff members in Vytilla, Ernakulam.
Speaking to TNM, one of the two victims said that a bunch of 12 goons were waiting outside the bus and began attacking the two of them and another passenger. The three of them were even chased with beer bottles by these men on RX 100 bikes. The bus staff decided to assault the passengers after arguments in Haripad, where the bus had broken down for nearly 3 hours and two of the staff absconded.
The three staff members of Kallada travels (Suresh Kallada) - Girilal, Jayesh and Jithin - were arrested by the Maradu police in Kochi on Monday morning, for assaulting the passengers on board.
A case has also been registered against them at the Maradu station under Indian Penal Code Sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 294(b) (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place) and section 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).