THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KSRTC employees unions have jointly called for a strike in the district on Thursday in protest against the death of KSRTC driver C Rajan, 53, attached to the Vellarada depot, who was attacked allegedly by a mini-lorry driver on Wednesday at Killi near Kattakada. According to police, the incident occurred around 9.40 a m at Killi when Rajan driving Thiruvananthapuram -Kattakada bus was beaten up by a mini-lorry driver following a quarrel between the two. “Construction work was going on the road at Killi which forced the KSRTC driver to steer the bus towards the right side of the road. This irritated the mini-lorry driver coming from the opposite side, which later led to a verbal duel between the two. The infuriated mini-lorry driver punched Rajan on the face. A formal complaint regarding the attack had been registered. The mini-lorry driver managed to flee from the spot though the mini-lorry was taken into custody, police sources said. Rajan was admitted to the Public Health Centre at Kattakada where he was given first aid. Later his condition worsened and in the evening the doctors referred him to Medical College Hospital. However, Rajan died on the way to the Medical College Hospital and was declared dead on arrival. Rajan is survived by wife and two children. Meanwhile, the KSRTC employees union alleged that they were facing serious threats from parallel private service operators and heavy vehicles run by powerful sand mafia. “Many a time we had taken up the issue with the authorities and also with the police but no concrete action had been taken so far to ensure the safety of the employees. Rajan was beaten up when he was on duty, which resulted in his death. We have called for a token strike on Thursday to protest against the incident and demanding stringent action against the culprit. All KSRTC employees unions will join the strike and if our demands are not met then we will take the strike to a state-wide level,” said M G Rahul of KSRTC Employees Union.
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