Youth Congress workers, KSRTC staff stage protest against woman mayor in Kerala

PTI, Apr 30, 2024, 2:36 PM IST

Thiruvananthapuram: The controversy over a misbehaviour complaint lodged by Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran against the driver of a state-run bus refused to die down on Tuesday, with Youth Congress activists staging a protest demonstration in front of the city corporation here claiming that the driver had not done anything wrong.

A group of Youth Congress activists took out a protest march to the Corporation complex located in the heart of the city and placed a board in front of its gate, which read “It is an overtake-free zone.” They also pasted posters with pictures of Rajendran in front of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses, which read “Beware of the Mayor”.

They also criticised the police for not registering a case against the woman mayor based on the complaint by H L Yadhu, the accused KSRTC driver.

The protesters alleged that the police were reluctant to register a case against the mayor, though the driver had first lodged a complaint with the police with regard to the incident.

They said it was found that the mayor and the co-passengers had blocked the bus by parking their car at the zebra crossing in Palayam junction here on Saturday.

A group of KSRTC employees also held a protest demonstration in front of their head office at East Fort here, extending support to the driver.

Meanwhile, KPCC secretary C R Pranakumar submitted a petition to the state Human Rights Commission seeking its intervention to register a case against the mayor and her husband, Sachin Dev, MLA, for obstructing the journey of KSRTC bus passengers.

“It is a violation of human rights to take the law into one’s hands by blocking people’s journey,” the complaint said.

When contacted, Cantonment police confirmed that no case has been registered against the mayor or her co-passengers so far based on the complaint of the driver.

An investigation is going over the mayor’s complaint, they said.

Meanwhile, Yadhu told reporters here today that he would approach the court seeking its intervention to direct the police to register a case against the mayor based on his complaint.

The developments came a day after Kerala Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar sought a report from the KSRTC managing director in connection with a complaint lodged by Mayor Rajendran alleging that the driver misbehaved with her and her family.

The KSRTC authorities had also asked the driver not to report for duty.

The mayor and her family on Saturday night got into a heated argument with the KSRTC bus driver after blocking the vehicle at Palayam junction. The mayor alleged that the driver made sexually suggestive gestures at them.

She claimed that the driver was rash and negligent, and they intervened after the bus was about to hit their car from behind.

Video footage aired by news channels showed the mayor and her co-passengers in the car engaging in heated arguments with the bus driver after blocking the vehicle at Palayam junction on Saturday.

Police had arrested the driver based on the mayor’s complaint that he misbehaved with her. He was released as the case was registered as a bailable offence.

The driver had alleged that the mayor’s vehicle attempted to overtake the KSRTC bus on the wrong side.

He claimed that the mayor’s husband, MLA K M Sachin Dev, forced passengers to get off the bus after blocking it on the road.

The driver also said that he was not aware that Arya Rajendran was the mayor and Sachin Dev was an MLA.