In yet another case demonstrating lack of compassion and consideration, a man was forced to disembark from a bus in Tamil Nadu along with the dead body of his friend, who passed away during the journey. The incident took place in Soolagiri near Hosur.
Radhakrishnan, aged 43 and Veeran, aged 54, two daily wage construction labourers from Tamil Nadu boarded a government bus in Bengaluru to travel to Tiruvannamalai. However, Veeran died midway. When Radhakrishnan and his co-passengers discovered that Veeran had died, the conductor stopped the bus in the middle of the road and threw the two out of the bus.
A video shows a helpless Radhakrishnan speaking to someone over the phone on the side of a highway, as his dead friend lies on the road, covered in a blanket.
According to one report, Veeran was ill and had decided to stretched himself on the seat and lie down. As the bus began to get crowded and more people needed seats to sit on, Radhakrishnan tried waking up his friend so that others could sit where he was lying down. Despite repeated attempts, he did not wake up. They soon discovered that Veeran had died during the journey.
Refusing to return the ticket of the passengers, the bus conductor laughed and allegedly asked, “Manushane ticket vaangitan, unaku edhuku ticket? (The person himself has died, what’s the need for a ticket?)”
According to The New Indian Express, the conductor returned the ticket fare of Rs 150 after much haggling.
Radhakrishnan was stranded with the body for three hours. According to one report, journalists in the area informed the police about the incident, who then arranged for an ambulance. However, other reports claim that the police arrived on the spot and helped Radhakrishnan.