Strike by TNSTC
Flash strike by TNSTC crew on Monday afternoon led to traffic snarls in Coimbatore. Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus crew went on a flash strike around 2.50 p.m. on Monday at the Park Gate Junction on Dr. Nanjappa Road, disrupting city traffic for nearly two hours. Their action followed an alleged assault on a bus driver by police constables in civil dress. Trouble began when three persons on two two-wheelers intercepted a TNSTC town bus from Gandhipuram, and entered into a wordy duel with the driver for refusing to give way. They exchanged abuses and two of the persons, said to be police personnel, allegedly assaulted the driver Sivaraman.
The conductor rushed the driver to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), leaving the bus at the same spot on the road. Crew of other buses, who witnessed the incident, started parking their vehicles in the middle of the road. They said the police personnel were in an inebriated state, and demanded their arrest. As buses started lining up, the traffic jam on Nanjappa Road began having its effect on other city roads.
General Secretary of the Anna Tozhirsangha Peravai A. Abdul Jabbar, who arrived at the scene, demanded the immediate arrest of the trio. Unless the culprits were brought to book, the crew would not remove the buses, he said. Of late, policemen were behaving in a highhanded fashion and this was the second such incident. At one stage, the situation grew tense with members of the public questioning the rationale behind the strike. Even if the strike were to continue, the buses must be parked on the roadside, allowing the traffic to flow, they demanded.
With bus crew and public entering into heated exchanges, Assistant Commissioners of Police N. Sundaravadivelu and Gopalasamy, along with Inspector Soundarrajan, cleared onlookers and defused the tension. General Manager of TNSTC Mani and other officials, including Divisional and Branch Managers, held talks. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) P. Nagarajan assured Mr.Jabbar and leaders of all the other unions that even if the trio happened to be policemen they would not be spared. Before 6 p.m. they would be arrested.
