Rash driving
The incident was reported barely a week after Kochi City Police announced on Sept 8 that police clearance and identity cards for all crew members will be ensured within two weeks. It was a spree of violent incidents before Sept 8 that led the police to call a meeting of stakeholders and make the announcement. However, after he went to the media, on Sept 6, officers from the commissioner’s office contacted him and an FIR was registered. If the police had acted on the complaint against the cleaner on Aug 9, Chelattu would not have been attacked.
Raveendran, who works as a small-scale cloth vendor and takes up occasional painting jobs, said that, apart from the trauma, the incident cost him financially as well, as he would not be able to go to work for at least a month. Rejins Chelattu, who filed a police complaint against a bus cleaner for threatening him and blocking his car, says that he was terrified by the incident. Chelattu said that when he filed a complaint, the police said they would impose a penalty on the bus but did not register a case against the man who threatened him. “So far, I have not received any updates regarding that case,” said Chelattu.
This is yet to be implemented. The police took little action on his complaint until the media intervened. Chelattu’s case is an example of how the police’s soft stand against private bus crews is encouraging their violent behaviour. The accused in this case was initially allowed to walk out of the police station on station bail despite him attacking officers who tried to take him into custody. He was later arrested after much uproar against the police action.
Chelattu saw the visuals of the man threatening a family by blocking a car and smoking in front of it on Aug 9 and identified him as the same person who had waylaid his car on Aug 22. He also shared an image of the same man making an obscene gesture with his hands.
But they did not take me there,” said Raveendran. He suffered injuries to his left wrist, both knees and feet in the accident, according to the complaint lodged by Raveendran. He said that the bus crew continued to stop the vehicle at each bus stop to pick up passengers even as he waited in the bus in pain. When I asked why none of them were coming with me, they shoved me and made me get out, saying that their man would join me,” he said.
“The accident occurred very close to Welcare Hospital. “Eventually, when the bus reached Kizhakkekotta, I was exhausted. The conductor then ordered me to get out.