<p>A mobile phone in a KSRTC bus driver’s pocket triggered a flash protest here on Saturday.</p>.<p>Due to the flash protest staged by passengers, the bus was halted for over one hour.</p>.<p>The incident occurred when the bus (KA 06 F 1152) was heading from Tiptur to Bengaluru. A two-member vigilance squad stopped the bus at Nittur bus stand and started checking tickets of passengers.</p>.<p>After checking the tickets, the squad staff noticed a mobile phone with the driver Muralidhar. </p>.<p>Assistant traffic inspector Pradeep and Sangappa Ingalgi, attached to Tumakuru depot-01 decided to levy fine on him and register a case for possessing the mobile phone while driving. </p>.<p>Muralidhar folded his hands and pleaded that he should not be fined. He claimed that he was carrying the mobile phone as his wife pregnant.</p>.<p>A few passengers blasted the duo for ignoring the driver’s pleas. They even asked them why they were not in uniform while on duty.</p>.<p>They said that they would not let the bus move until senior officers reached the spot and withdrew the case against him.</p>.<p>As the situation seemed go out of control, the two officers decided to destroy the original copy of the case.</p>.<p>However, the passengers did not calm down. They charged that the two officers might once again register the case as they had a duplicate (carbon) copy. They wanted the officers to destroy the duplicate copy. They even dared them to approach the police and register cases against passengers.</p>.<p>They charged that KSRTC senior officers lacked humanity. Recently, a driver’s daughter died in Gangavathi in Koppal district, but the top brass directed him to be on duty. They didn’t even inform him about the death.</p>.<p>A few local leaders intervened and attempted to calm down the passengers, but efforts were in vain.</p>.<p>Minutes later, a group of leaders and media persons intervened. They got a letter from the two officers that they would not trouble the driver in future. They made them destroy the duplicate copy. </p>.<p>After the duplicate copy was destroyed, the passengers withdrew the protest facilitating movement of the bus.</p>.<p>According to Pradeep, the department introduced a rule from September 1 that barred drivers possessing and using mobile phones while on duty.</p>.<p>“We’ve used the norm and register a case only for possessing the mobile phone We’ve just warned the driver,” he told DH.</p>.<p>However, Muralidhar charged that the case was registered deliberately.</p>.<p>“I had brought the mobile phone as my wife is pregnant. I had switched it off. However, the officers charged that the mobile was switched on and deliberately registered a case,” he claimed.</p>
<p>A mobile phone in a KSRTC bus driver’s pocket triggered a flash protest here on Saturday.</p>.<p>Due to the flash protest staged by passengers, the bus was halted for over one hour.</p>.<p>The incident occurred when the bus (KA 06 F 1152) was heading from Tiptur to Bengaluru. A two-member vigilance squad stopped the bus at Nittur bus stand and started checking tickets of passengers.</p>.<p>After checking the tickets, the squad staff noticed a mobile phone with the driver Muralidhar. </p>.<p>Assistant traffic inspector Pradeep and Sangappa Ingalgi, attached to Tumakuru depot-01 decided to levy fine on him and register a case for possessing the mobile phone while driving. </p>.<p>Muralidhar folded his hands and pleaded that he should not be fined. He claimed that he was carrying the mobile phone as his wife pregnant.</p>.<p>A few passengers blasted the duo for ignoring the driver’s pleas. They even asked them why they were not in uniform while on duty.</p>.<p>They said that they would not let the bus move until senior officers reached the spot and withdrew the case against him.</p>.<p>As the situation seemed go out of control, the two officers decided to destroy the original copy of the case.</p>.<p>However, the passengers did not calm down. They charged that the two officers might once again register the case as they had a duplicate (carbon) copy. They wanted the officers to destroy the duplicate copy. They even dared them to approach the police and register cases against passengers.</p>.<p>They charged that KSRTC senior officers lacked humanity. Recently, a driver’s daughter died in Gangavathi in Koppal district, but the top brass directed him to be on duty. They didn’t even inform him about the death.</p>.<p>A few local leaders intervened and attempted to calm down the passengers, but efforts were in vain.</p>.<p>Minutes later, a group of leaders and media persons intervened. They got a letter from the two officers that they would not trouble the driver in future. They made them destroy the duplicate copy. </p>.<p>After the duplicate copy was destroyed, the passengers withdrew the protest facilitating movement of the bus.</p>.<p>According to Pradeep, the department introduced a rule from September 1 that barred drivers possessing and using mobile phones while on duty.</p>.<p>“We’ve used the norm and register a case only for possessing the mobile phone We’ve just warned the driver,” he told DH.</p>.<p>However, Muralidhar charged that the case was registered deliberately.</p>.<p>“I had brought the mobile phone as my wife is pregnant. I had switched it off. However, the officers charged that the mobile was switched on and deliberately registered a case,” he claimed.</p>