MLA's supporters thrash conductor, KSRTC staff stage protest

Driver also injured; traffic on Hunsur Road hit for an hour due to agitation by public

Vehicular traffic on the Mysuru-Hunsur Road came to a standstill for over an hour as KSRTC staffers and residents of Hootagalli staged a protest against MLA Sa Ra Mahesh and his supporters and blocked the road at Hootagalli, on the outskirts of the city, alleging that the driver and conductor of a city bus were manhandled, on Thursday.

Vijayanagar police have registered a case of abuse against the MLA and assault case against his supporters. Driver Krishna and conductor Jayaram of city bus number 266, who were injured, have been treated as out-patients in a hospital.

A Madikeri-bound KSRTC bus from Mysuru was stopped in the middle of the road as its clutch-plate had been damaged. Krishna and Jayaram of city bus 266 stopped their bus and offered to help the staffers of the Madikeri-bound bus.

As a result, the traffic was affected for sometime on the road. A few vehicles had queued up for some distance on both sides of the road.

MLA Mahesh, who was going to his constituency K R Nagar, from his residence in Mysuru, had to stop his car, get down and see what had happened.

Attacked by supporters

To the MLA’s query, Jayaram was giving an explanation, when his supporters shouted and attacked Jayaram.

Krishna, who rushed to rescue his colleague, was also assaulted.

The incident irked the onlookers, who protested the way in which the MLA’s supporters were behaving with KSRTC staffers, who were only trying to ease the traffic.

Road blocked

As the people started shouting slogans against the MLA, he left the spot. The agitators squatted on the road and blocked the road.

Vijayanagar Police Inspector Guruprasad and V V Puram Traffic Police Inspector Vivekananda rushed to the spot and convinced the people to withdraw the protest.

Conductor Jayaram said he did not know that the person talking to him was an MLA, but still he was only explaining why the bus had stopped in the middle of the road.