The police recently booked a driver and a conductor of a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly forcing a Dalit woman to deboard the vehicle for carrying beef.
The two – driver N Sasikumar and conductor K Raghu – have also been suspended from their jobs. The woman is a resident of Navalai village in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district and had boarded the Harur-Hosur bus on February 20.
The woman had previous run-ins with the conductor, who had asked her not to carry beef citing ‘complaints’ from other passengers.
According to the police, the conductor and the driver chided the woman identified as Paanjalai, 59, for carrying beef in a stainless steel container. The woman, who is a beef seller, was forced to get down midway near the Ettipatty forest area.
The elderly woman had to walk a certain distance and then managed to reach the next bus stop with the help of a private vehicle. After they were informed about the incident, the woman’s family members and other locals confronted the bus driver and the conductor later that evening. The police and the TNSTC were informed subsequently.
Speaking to reporters, the woman said that despite pleading with the conductor and offering to pay extra fare for the ride, the latter did not pay heed to her requests.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com.