Kerala bus conductor penalised for inhumanity to a kid

District collector orders him to work in a children's home for ten days as punishment

A private bus conductor at Malappuram district in North Kerala has been awarded a 'model punishment' of serving at a children's home for ten days as he did not allow a kid to alight at the bus stop.

Malappuram district collector Jafer Malik ordered the model punishment aimed at reforming the conductor.

The incident pertaining to the issue took place at Parappanangadi in the district on July 23. The LKG student, accompanied by his elder sister, was returning home form school in the private bus. On reaching the destination, the elder sister alighted from the bus. Before her younger brother got down the bus sped away. Though the sister screamed that her younger brother did not alight, the bus went ahead and stopped about 300 metres away from the bus stop. There was also drizzling at that time.

A social worker who was travelling in the bus made a social media post about the incident. The district collector who came across this directed the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) to give a report. Inquiry by the RTO found serious lapses on the part of the bus conductor, identified as Sakeer Ali.

Based on the RTO's report, the district collector ordered that the conductor should work as a caretaker for ten days from Thursday at the Government Children's Home at Thavanoor in the district so that he could reform himself and would be able to behave with affection towards children. His working hours would be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

However, officials at the children's home said that he had not reported for work till 11 am on Thursday.

Local sources said that the incident was the outcome of the race among private buses in the district to collect passengers.