Mumbai: The State Human Right’s Commission has taken suo-motu cognisance of the alleged misconduct which a 57 year old advertising and branding agency’s owner had to face on June 14,2024, while he was travelling from Pune to Mumbai in a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC)’s Shivneri Bus. As per the reports the victim, Shailendra Sathe was offered a coffee by a co- passenger, laced with sedative, which made him unconscious and he was robbed for approximate amount of Rs 4 lakhs.
Seeing Sathe’s unconscious condition, the conductor and the driver of the bus, dropped him on a footpath near a dustbins in Dadar, where he lying for 16 hours in the same condition. Condemning such an incident, the commission held that it is the utmost duty of the driver and the conductor of the bus to care for the safety and security of the passengers during the journey. The commission, thus has issued summons to Managing Director, MSRTC &DCP, Zone-4 calling upon to hold fact finding inquiry in the case.
The Commission in its orders observed, “When passengers purchase a ticket to travel from one destination to another, it is the utmost duty of the driver and the conductor of the bus to care for the safety and security of the passengers during his journey. This is not the first incident on Mumbai Pune Express Highway. Incidents of drugging and looting is a frequent affair on this rout in public transport system. To stop this kind of incident, efforts like installing CC TV camera in the bus and sensitizing the driver and the conductor should have been made by the authority. The conduct of the staff of the bus at Dadar Shivneri bus stand is highly deplorable and against the ethics and conduct of the government servant. It is a violation of human right of life and dignity of individual.”
The commission has thus made a list of question’s which the authorities concerned are supposed to answer and have asked them to prepare a report of the same and submit it before the commission.
Some of the relevant questions of the lists are -
1) Whether an inquiry into this incident has been conducted by concerned authority and action taken against the responsible person.
2)What are the precautions made by the MSRTC to counter this sort of incident during the journey?
3)Whether any system of paying compensation to the victim in such case is in existence at MSRTC.
4)Whether any offence in this regard has been registered by staff of the concerned bus at the police station
