Chennai: A group of government school students travelling on the footboard of an MTC bus, allegedly attacked and thrashed the conductor of the bus before being dragged by commuters and the bus driver on to Velacheri Main Road near Dhandeeshwaram Nagar here, leading to a huge traffic snarl on the stretch for a good half-an-hour during the peak hours today.
The incident happened around 9 am when a group of around 10 Government Model Higher Secondary School students were travelling on the footboard of 45A bus route (bus no. TN 01 N-9520) that plies between Madipakkam and Anna Square. More than 70 commuters were inside the bus when the incident took place, said eyewitnesses.
"Since there was little space for commuters to get in and move out, I whistled so that the driver halts, following which I advised the students to move out of the bus and board another one that was coming right behind. But the students would not listen. Soon, one of the students started hurling abuses at me. Another one held me by my collar, while another one slapped me," alleged the conductor, who suffered minor injuries.
While the driver immediately stopped the bus, commuters who were witness to the incident held one of the students by the collar and dragged him to the main road, thereby blocking traffic. "The students were trying to get on top of the bus when asked by the conducter to move out," said an eyewitness.
One of the students involved in the brawl claimed that the conductor had slapped one of the students, following which the students attacked him. "The conductor asked us to move out and we refused. He then asked the driver to stop the bus and attacked my friend," charged a student.
Apparently, the juvenile who slapped the conductor wasn't wearing a school uniform, prompting eyewitnesses to claim he wasn't a corporation student. However, his friend clarified that the attacker had worn a colour dress since he did not have a uniform.
Meanwhile, buses piled up on Velacheri Main Road after the incident, even as police officials rushed to the spot to control the disorderly crowd. While all the commuters were asked to get down from the 45A bus, those travelling by cars and two-wheelers were also left frustrated.
"Why should the issue be brought to the main road, causing trouble to thousands of people," a commuter asked. A police official attached to the Velacheri police station, said, "The situation was immediately brought under control and the students were let off with a warning." He added that the conductor did not want a complaint to be filed against the juveniles.
