Silvester D'Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Aug 19: A passenger of a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus attacked the conductor of the said bus, after getting angry over a verbal altercation between the two over change of two rupees. The bus conductor, identified as Harishchandra (38) from Honnavar, suffered injuries and got admitted into the government hospital in the town. The incident occurred on Tuesday August 18.

Harishchandra was functioning as the conductor of KSRTC bus moving between Bhatkal and the town. It is said that a passenger named Hanif, who was bound for Byndoor, boarded the bus at Bhatkal. At the time of buying ticket, Hanif got into argument with the conductor over two rupees change. At around 3.10 pm, Hanif got down from the bus once it reached Byndoor, and the bus resumed its journey to the town.

In the meanwhile, Hanif had already conveyed information to his friends, and after getting down from the bus, he and his friends hired an auto rickshaw, followed the bus, overtook it and intercepted it at Uppunda. Hanif then entered the bus and hit the conductor black and blue. The shirt pocket of the conductor was torn in this melee, and he said over Rs 6,000 kept inside the pocket fell down and got scattered, causing loss for him.

The injured conductor got admitted into the government hospital here, and is being treated there. Those who accompanied Harishchandra blamed the doctors at the hospital of not attending to the conductor for long, although he had reported at the hospital at about 4.45 pm. It is also said that the doctors failed to send intimation about the incident to Byndoor police as required. At last, KSRTC staff said they had to give intimation to Byndoor police station, and expressed anguish at the attituude of the doctors at the hospital.

A case has since been registered in Byndoor police station in this regard.