TNSTC manager suspended for assaulting driver at Arapalayam

MADURAI: A TNSTC bus driver came under attack in Madurai by a fellow employee, and the incident drew the wrath of the working class.

The incident happened in the early hours of Monday when driver Ganesh, who was on duty driving a bus that belonged to the Coimbatore depot. He was reprimanded for not steering the bus bound for Tirupur into Arapalayam, a bus stand meant for passengers boarding buses bound to Dindigul, Karur, Erode, Namakkal, Salem, Coimbatore and Tirupur.

The incident captured on mobile phone video went viral on social media, prompting action, sources said.

P Mani, TNSTC general manager, Madurai, when contacted, said it was unjust that Marimuthu, the Arapalayam bus stand manager, beat the driver with a slipper after the driver and the manager had a heated exchange.

After inquiring, the general manager said as per instructions, all buses must get into the bus stand to allow passengers to board.

But since the road leading close to the bus stand got more congested, the driver skipped it and instead turned the bus through a roundabout in Arapalayam.

However, the bus driver was caught by the Driving Inspector posted on duty.

The driver was then summoned to the time keeping office at Arapalayam, where a furious altercation ensued between the driver and the manager in front of his fellow drivers.

Though it was wrong on the part of the driver, the manager should have registered a complaint against the driver for necessary action. But behaving in a disorderly manner could not be accepted. Hence, the manager was suspended from service, the general manager said.

Since Saturday was a public holiday, additional buses were put into service to facilitate passengers and that caused congestion, he said.