Dalit woman faces discrimination: Forced off TNSTC bus for carrying beef

According to the police, the 59-year-old woman usually buys beef from Harur and takes it to her native village to sell it.

NewsBharati 24-Feb-2024 13:18:12 PM

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A case was filed against the driver and conductor of a state bus in Tamil Nadu after they allegedly forced a Dalit woman to get out of the vehicle because she was carrying beef with her. The Dharmapuri district police filed the case under the SC/ST Act.

According to the police, the 59-year-old woman usually buys beef from Harur and takes it to her native village to sell it. However, on Tuesday, when she was travelling on the bus from Harur municipality to Krishnagiri city, the bus conductor allegedly objected to her carrying beef and forced her to deboard midway.

It has been alleged that the woman was asked to get off the bus at an unsafe area despite her request to be dropped off at the next bus stop.

TN Govt Bus driver and conductor booked under SC/ST Act for deboarding a 59 yr dalit woman for carrying beef with her in Dharmapuri. pic.twitter.com/G7K677mfg6
— Mugilan Chandrakumar (@Mugilan__C) February 22, 2024

After the incident, the woman filed a complaint with the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) and the police accusing the bus driver and the conductor of discriminating against her on the basis of her caste.

The discrimination, as per Panchalai’s account, had been ongoing for the past six months, with the conductor allegedly harassing her repeatedly.

The incident came to light when Panchalai filed a complaint with the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation and local police, citing discrimination based on her caste.

The TNSTC responded promptly by suspending the bus driver, N Sasikumar, and the conductor, K Raghu, pending an inquiry into the matter. The suspension underlines the seriousness of the allegations and aims to ensure a thorough investigation into the conduct of the bus crew. The TNSTC emphasized that the crew had no authority to inspect the contents of passengers’ luggage without cause, highlighting a breach of protocol.