TENAKASI/TIRUNELVELI: A government bus driver who reportedly threatened to beat up a woman with his footwear has been suspended. The video of the incident that took place on Sunday was recorded on a cell phone camera and has gone viral.
S Rajeswaran, Managing Director of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), Tirunelveli confirmed the suspension of the driver, Muppidathi Muthu, with TNIE adding that he was not allotted any duty once the incident was brought to his knowledge.
The incident took place on August 15 in Kuthapanchan village on a government bus (27A) plying between Kadayam and Alangulam. “The woman passenger Chermakani boarded the bus in Kuthapanchan and requested the driver to wait for a few seconds for another lady and her child. This created the dispute between both of them,” said M Karthika, the passenger who shot the video on her cell phone.
“The driver, refusing to stop the bus, asked Chermakani whether he should dress up the passengers at home and get them into the bus. Irked by the driver's comment, Chermakani replied to him harshly. She recalled that driver Muthu used to make her teen daughter, who was studying in a school in Mathapattinam village, get off the bus two km before her school and said that this forced her to admit her daughter to a Alangulam-based school. As Chermakani was replying, the driver stopped the bus and began quarreling with her,” said Karthika.
In the viral video clip, the driver is seen involved in a melee with a woman passenger and threatening to beat her with his footwear. After this incident, Chermakani filed a complaint with the Kadayam police against Muthu. “We have registered the incident in the Community Social Register (CSR). After Chermakani, the driver Muthu also arrived at the police station and accused her of using filthy language against him. They eventually reached a compromise. Hence, we did not register any case in this connection,” said Ragurajan, police inspector, Kadayam.
When contacted by TNIE, a TNSTC official, who didn't wish to reveal his identity, said that the passengers who do not catch the bus on time should not expect the bus driver to wait for them. “Only after a thorough inquiry, we can find out whose mistake was behind the scene,” he added.