The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) suspended four employees for manhandling a person who had sought concession cards for his daughter and her friend at the Kattakada depot on Tuesday.
Acting on the basis of instructions by Transport Minister Antony Raju, the transport utility suspended Aryanad KSRTC station master A. Muhammed Shereef, Kattakada bus station duty guard S.R. Suresh Kumar, conductor N. Anil Kumar and ‘assistant’ C.P. Milan pending inquiry.
The action was taken by the KSRTC chairman and managing director (CMD) Biju Prabhakar following a preliminary enquiry that was conducted by the corporation. Mr. Raju also directed the CMD to adopt stringent action against the workers who manhandled the victim, Premanan of Amachal, in front of his daughter within 45 days. The Kattakada police have also registered a case against the KSRTC workers.
The employees roughed up Mr. Premanan after he had gone with his daughter and her friend, both second-year students in a college in Malayinkeezhu, to renew their concession cards. While the KSRTC employees demanded course certificates to process the application, Mr. Premanan informed them that he had submitted them three months ago. As his claim did not find favour with the counter staff, a frustrated Mr. Premanan faulted them for the current state of the debt-ridden KSRTC.
This prompted the workers to drag him to a rest room and assault him, even as his daughter Reshma and her friend attempted to dissuade them. The incident took place when the duo were on their way to appear for an examination.
Soon, the Kattakada police rushed to the depot and shifted Mr. Premanan to the Government Taluk Hospital in Kattakada.
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday sought a report from the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation(KSRTC) regarding the incident of assulting a girl student and her father by the KSRTC staff at the Kattakada depot.
Justice Devan Ramachandran called the counsel for the KSRTC and directed him to submit a report when the judge came across media reports on the incident.
