SANGAREDDY: A case has been registered against passengers and a conductor for allegedly attacking an RTC checking inspector, Peddadoddi Yesayya, at the Raikode mandal headquarters on Friday after he attempted to issue a charge memo during a ticket inspection.
A TGSRTC headquarters enforcement squad, led by in-charge TTI Peddadoddi Yesayya and TTI V Prakash, was conducting inspections on the Zaheerabad–Narayankhed route. The team intercepted an RTC bus travelling from Hyderabad to Narayankhed near Kappad village in Jharasangam mandal and carried out a routine check, during which a passenger was found travelling without a ticket.
On being questioned, the passenger claimed he had paid Rs 20 to the conductor but was not issued a ticket. Following procedure, the inspectors moved to issue a charge memo to the conductor.
However, the conductor, Devsoth Vasanth, denied the allegation and told officials that the passenger had refused to take the ticket. He argued that it was unreasonable to accuse him of taking Rs 20 from one person when there were several passengers on board. Despite his defence, the checking inspector decided to proceed with the action.
This led to an argument, with other passengers backing the conductor and objecting to the inspector’s decision. After the inspection, while the officials were seated in their vehicle, a group of passengers allegedly pulled the inspector out and assaulted him with slippers. The conductor also joined the passengers in attacking Yesayya. Several passengers recorded the incident on their mobile phones, and the videos later surfaced on social media.
In the assault, TTI Yesayya suffered an injury to his left finger, while TTI V Prakash sustained a serious injury to his forehead.
Based on a complaint filed by Yesayya at the Raikode police station, a case has been registered under Section 121(1) of BNS for obstructing and hurting a public servant in the discharge of duty.
Taking a serious note of the incident, TGSRTC MD Y Nagireddy directed officials to initiate departmental action and register a criminal case against the conductor. The management strongly condemned the attack. He warned that indiscipline among staff would not be tolerated and termed the attack on officials an unpardonable crime and added that assaults on duty-bound staff would invite legal consequences and urged employees to maintain a harmonious working environment.