Man thrown from speeding bus over fare dispute in Bihar, dies

The conductor and cleaner misbehaved with Maharaaj Das and assaulted him when he refused to give the extra money. After a heated argument, the conductor threw Das out of the bus

A 40-year-old daily-wage labourer was kicked off a speeding private bus by one of its employees, following a dispute over the fare on NH-22 near Dariyapur in Muzaffarpur district on Wednesday morning. The victim, identified as Maharaaj Das, a resident of Nanpur-Singhachouri village of Sitamarhi district, succumbed to head injuries.

Representational image. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Police said that Das, along with six others, was working in a Varanasi-based private firm and the group was on its way to Sitamarhi from Varanasi via Patna.

According to eyewitnesses, the bus was overcrowded and Das and his associates could not find a seat to travel to Sitamarhi. All of them were standing near the door of the bus. When the bus neared Dariyapur, Das gave the conductor ₹25 for a ticket.

The conductor asked him where he would get off. “When he said Sitamarhi, the conductor demanded ₹50 more. Das protested, as he knew the fare was ₹25 without a seat, but the conductor started abusing him,” said a passenger.

The conductor and cleaner misbehaved with Das and assaulted him when he refused to give the extra money. After a heated argument, the conductor threw Das out of the bus. Locals and passengers of the bus rushed Das to a nearby private hospital, where he died.

The bus driver, conductor and cleaner went on the run before the police could reach the spot. SHO of Turki police station Ram Binay Kumar said that police seized the bus, and a separate team was dispatched to trace the absconding bus staff.