Udupi: Row Over Beating Up Bus Staff : Private Buses Suspend Services
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Aug 14: Taking the commuters by surprise, the Bus Employees Association has decided to go ahead with its move to stay off the roads today, on the night of Wednesday, August 13. They had earlier warned of such a move, in case the policemen failed to arrest all the accused who beat up a driver and conductor of a bus at Ucchil, by Wednesday afternoon.
Although the people had a clue that such a thing could happen, they were caught unawares. The deadline given to the policemen for nabbing the culprits expired at 3.00 pm on Wednesday, but neither the Bus Owners Association nor the Bus Employees Association had declared their intention to go ahead with the strike till late evening.
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The decision to go ahead with the strike was announced later, by Coastal Bus Employees Association president Vijay Kumar and secretary Ramesh Shetty. They said, that they have decided to observe bu strike today, in protest against the failure of the policemen to arrest six more culprits whose names and addresses were furnished to the police. Out of 20 assaulters, they know the identities of these eleven but the policemen have arrested only five persons so far, they said. The bus employees are also resenting a threat posed to the victim Shambhu Hejmady's family by the culrpits. Another demand of the striking employees to book the assailants under section 307 which relates to attempt to murder, has not been acceded to.
Some sources say, that the miscreants have gone underground and hiding at various places. The policemen are not leaving any stones unturned in finding them out but they have not been successful. District deputy commissioner Hemalata said that the policemen have been trying hard to fish out the hiding criminals.The students, employees, fisherwomen and regular commuters who entirely depend on buses, were in for a rude shock today morning, to find to their dismay, that buses were not moving. All buses moving in and around Udupi, including city buses, have stayed off the road today.
In Mangalore however, city buses are functioning but service buses are not moving. The KSRTC has pressed into service several buses to provide some relief to the stranded passengers.
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