UPSRTC bus driver suspended for stopping vehicle to allow 2 passengers offer 'namaz'

The driver of a UPSRTC bus of the Bareilly depot was suspended for stopping the bus in the middle of the night to allow two passengers offer 'namaz', a senior official said here on Tuesday.

The bus conductor, a contractual employee, was also removed from service, he said.

Regional Manager Deepak Choudhary said the action was taken as stopping the bus at a secluded place could have led to an untoward incident like loot and put at risk the lives of passengers who included women.

"UPSRTC's Janrath bus was heading to Kaushambi from the Satellite bus stand here Saturday night. K P Singh was driving the vehicle and Mohit Yadav was the bus conductor," Assistant Regional Manager (ARM), Bareilly depot, Sanjeev Srivastava said.

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On reaching a secluded place before Rampur, the bus was stopped. When the passengers demanded an answer, they came to know that two Muslim passengers had got down and were offering namaz on the road.

The other passengers then raised an objection and one of them made a video of the incident and made it public on Sunday, he said.

A complaint was made to the MD Transport Corporation through Twitter after which action was taken in the matter on Monday.

Meanwhile, Ravindra Pandey, regional secretary, UP Roadways Employees Union termed the action as "one-sided" and said the driver and the conductor should have been given a chance to present their case.

Sometimes passengers force the driver to stop the bus. It could be the same in this case. An enquiry should be conducted in the matter, he said.