Thiruvananthapuram, (Samajweekly) Protests were held by the Congress and the BJP, as well as a section of state roadways employees, in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday against the way Mayor Arya Rajendran, her CPI-M legislator husband Sachin Dev and other family members behaved with a bus driver of the state-owned KSRTC.
The protests came after CCTV visuals surfaced showing that the car, in which Rajendran and her family members were travelling, had intercepted the KSRTC bus in the middle of the main road in the state capital. The incident took place at around 10 p.m. on Sunday.
Rajendran on Monday said they reacted against the driver not only because he was driving dangerously and on a few occasions, almost hit their vehicle, but also made an obscene gesture at them. However, she said that they did not intercept the bus at a traffic signal.
However, the visuals contradicted her version of the incident, leading to criticism.
On the other hand, police took the driver, identified as Yadu, into custody but refused to accept his complaint that Rajendran had obstructed him from his duty and spoke to him rudely.
Yadu on Tuesday told the media that he was stopped from doing his duty and denied justice as his complaint was not accepted but the complaint against him was taken for action and he was kept in the police station for several hours, and hence, he will seek legal recourse.
On Tuesday the Youth Congress staged a protest march and held a sit-down in front of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, placing a huge display board warning the residents to be careful when moving around as the Mayor might be travelling.
They stuck similar notices on the KSRTC buses that were passing the spot.
The pro-Congress trade union body of the KSRTC also staged a protest before the KSRTC head office here, demanding action against Rajendran and others for intercepting and stopping the bus, which is an offence.
BJP councillors of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation also staged a protest at the Council meeting, presided over by Rajendran, over her rude behaviour while the ruling CPI-M members demanded the bus driver should be dismissed from service.
The issue also flared up on social media with pro-Rajendran and anti-Rajendran supporters taking on one another.
Rajendran was in the news after she was sworn in as the youngest Mayor in the country in 2020. However, she later faced some corruption allegations and one case is still under probe, waiting for a report from the Forensic Department.
