A ‘chai pe charcha’ in the middle of the road is sure to tickle the curiosity of a passer-by. On Kozhikode-Balussery road last week, a private bus driver had the ‘fortune’ to be at the centre of such a debate.
In a quirky protest, the driver who tried to speed away on seeing schoolchildren was stopped mid-way by local residents and offered a cup of hot tea. “At least this cup of tea should make you regret your unkind act” was the message that the protesters wanted to send to the driver. The video footage of the ‘tea treatment’ was put on social media.
“The ordeal of students never ends as bus crew treat them as a nuisance,” said Abhilash Kumar, father of a schoolchild in the city. He pointed out that the time they usually spend along the road is the most strenuous and harrowing period of their day.
“Bus workers never understand the mental trauma of students, especially girls, who anxiously wait along the road for their turn to board a bus,” Mr. Abhilash Kumar said.
An order from the district administration clearly states that there should be no discrimination against students. But it is discrimination and harassment all the way for them. They are often not allowed to board the bus before the bus starts or occupy seats even if they are vacant. They are forced to follow a tormenting queue system and are allowed to board only after the other passengers get in. Hence, many are left behind after the bus gets full.
Neha Dileepkumar, a student of Nanminda Higher Secondary School, is the latest victim of private bus drivers’ cruelty. “She suffered grievous injuries to her right leg when a driver attempted to speed away on seeing schoolchildren last Tuesday. She is still undergoing treatment,” said Joy Thomas, member of the school’s Parent-Teacher Association. He reminded that such incidents should never happen, and “we need laws that keep such drivers off.”
Though more policemen are posted on city roads to ensure that schoolchildren have a trouble-free ride, those from the outskirts are still at the mercy of unkind drivers.
Many of those children study in government schools, which have limited number of buses. Fed up with the raw treatment meted out by private bus crew, some parents are now hiring private vehicles for their children.
“Drivers never stop buses at the marked spot at stops, prompting children to run after the bus. We have come across incidents where students crash into suddenly stopped buses,” said Vipin, a student of West Hill Engineering College. He suggested that drivers be made accountable for not stopping buses at reserved spots at bus stops.
Students of a government school in the city said they chose to keep quiet about the discrimination meted out to them as they had to take the same bus every day, and any quarrel with bus crew might cause problems later.
The students are sore that adult passengers never protest against the mistreatment of students by bus crew. The result: they are forced to suffer insults in silence.
