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Aligarh man pulls off ‘Veeru’ stunt to protest pay cut, Akhilesh backs his demand
His stunt led to a high-voltage drama with the fire department rushing to the spot and pressing in a hydraulic machine to bring him down.
LUCKNOW Passers-by and area residents were reminded of the iconic Sholay scene in which Veeru (played by Dharmendra) climbs atop a water tanker to push his demand when an Aligarh resident pulled off a similar stunt at Lucknow’s Qaisar Bagh Awadh bus depot on Thursday.
Anguished over pay cut, contractual bus driver Raju Saini climbed to the top of a mobile tower and threatened to jump off from it if his salary was not fully restored. He alleged that his salary was deducted over allegations of using cheap quality diesel while in fact, the government bus has lost its previous mileage due to its dilapidated condition.
His stunt led to a high-voltage drama with the fire department rushing to the spot and pressing in a hydraulic machine to bring him down. Along with the fire brigade, the police force, district magistrate Suryapal Gangwar, and other senior officials also reached the spot.
Taking cognisance of the incident, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav uploaded the man’s video to Twitter. He wrote, “New heights of destruction in BJP’s rule. A driver is forced to drive poor-condition buses, putting the lives of commuters in danger. On top of it, the driver had to climb a tower to get his voice heard. Meanwhile, the state government is perpetually in a self-congratulatory mode.”
Reacting to the development, officers of the state transport department pointed out that this is the second time Raju Saini is pulling off a stunt like this. They added that he was found using poor-quality diesel and therefore, an amount of ₹3,000 was deducted from his ₹12,000 monthly salary.
On the other hand, the contractual driver has pressed charges against the Narora bus depot supervisor. Saini accused the supervisor of conspiring to thrash him. When asked about the incident, Manoj Kumar, a senior official of Awadh bus depot, said, “The matter will be investigated. We will ensure appropriate action against anyone found guilty.”
