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Bus conductor allegedly assaults commuter for demanding correct balance
View(s):Bus conductor allegedly assaults commuter for demanding correct balanceA sports instructor attached to a school in Maradana was on Friday being treated for an injured eye and jaw after he was allegedly assaulted by an enraged conductor of a private-owned passenger bus, following an altercation over the fare and due balance, police said.
The injured sports instructor. Pic by Amila Gamage
The alleged incident took place on an Athurugiriya-bound bus plying from Colombo, shortly before dusk on Friday, as shocked passengers looked on, they said. The victim G. Jeevaraj 48, a father of three, is currently at the National Eye Hospital after undergoing emergency treatment on his left eye, while he will also have to undergo surgery for an injury on the right side of his jaw.
Police investigations reveal the suspect was not the regular conductor, but was serving in a temporary capacity at the time of the incident. The altercation had taken place when the victim had sought a balance of Rs 16 for the Rs 50 given to the conductor, with the suspect apparently disputing the exact fare and the balance due, police said.
The victim claimed he was later violently pushed out of the bus at a location near Kottawa Junction, with a jeering conductor allegedly taunting the sports instructor to take up the matter with whatever authority he wished. The victim told the Sunday Times that his vision is less in the affected eye. He also said the owner of the bus had visited him in hospital and offered an out- of-court settlement.
“I turned down the offer, as I am determined to take up the matter legally so that, such incidents could be averted in the future,” Mr. Jeevaraj, a resident of Wattala said. He added that he will need further medical treatment for the tooth that has been dislodged.
“I have lodged a complaint with the Kottawa Police and I hope the law will prevail and justice be done at the very earliest,” he added. Meanwhile, the suspect who was on the run since the assault last Friday, was arrested at a house in the Oruwela area on Friday night, Kottawa-Officer-in Charge Inspector L.B.P. Samarasinghe said.
He said the man was later produced in the Homagama Courts and remanded. “The police will also question the driver who was a witness to the incident, as well as the bus owner,” IP Samarasinghe added.
Some 80%of complaints of this nature are reported from the provinces, where there is no supervision of bus owners and their crew, National Transport Commission (NTC) chairman Amal Kumarage told the Sunday Times.
He said there were an estimated 20,000 registered private passenger buses on the roads, of which only 3,200 come under the direct purview of the NTC, while the rest are monitored by the relevant Provincial Councils.
“That is where the problem lies. Bus permits are issued to any individual without any questions asked, and they hire whatever crew they see fit. This should change. “There should be a permanent mechanism where the crew undergo mandatory training in passenger and vehicle handling, before they are allowed to operate. This responsibility should lie with the respective Provincial Councilors,” Prof. Kumarage added.
He said in the case of a complaint made against a bus operator coming under the central authority, prompt action is initiated and the matter settled at the earliest, but unfortunately, this was not the case in the provinces.
Private Bus Operators Association (PBOA) President, Gemunu Wijeyratne said such incidents are handled by the police and other relevant authorities, and there was little he could do.
“This is a police matter and it is they who are mandated to handle such cases,” he said.