Politicking over DTC driver’s death begins as strike hits Delhi

The death of a DTC bus driver in an incident of road rage on Sunday has taken a political turn with the BJP announcing Rs 5 lakh as compensation and the Congress demanding Rs 1crore for the driver’s kin.

The death of a DTC bus driver in an incident of road rage on Sunday has taken a political turn with the BJP announcing Rs 5 lakh as compensation and the Congress demanding Rs 1crore for the driver’s kin.

Buses-parked-at-the-Indraprastha-DTC-Bus-Terminal-after-DTC-employees-struck-work-following-the-death-of-a-42-year-old-DTC-bus-driver-Ashok-Kumar-who-was-beaten-to-death-on-Sunday-morning-Sonu-Mehta-HT-Photo

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi has threatened to deal with the strike sternly, saying it appears to be politically motivated.

DTC employees burn the effigy of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. (Sushil Kumar/ HT Photo)

“The failure of the Delhi government on many fronts has been visible but the latest mishandling of the DTC employee murder issue is there for all to see. It is the arrogant behaviour of the government which has resulted in DTC employees going on strike. The government should not play dual games in the matter of compensation,” Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay said.

Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said the government was responsible for the inconvenience caused to the public due to the strike by DTC staff.

Buses were off roads due to the strike by DTC staff. (Sunil Gosh/ HT Photo)

“If the Kejriwal government does not immediately intervene and handle the tragic incident in a sensitive manner, the situation may worsen in the coming days. The government should come out with a policy framework for the safety and security of the DTC crew,” said Gupta.

Both Upadhyay and Gupta met the agitating DTC staff who were sitting on a dharna at the Rohini Bus Depot. The DTC staff demanded proper compensation and justice for the murdered DTC driver. Delhi BJP workers led by Satish Upadhyay also took out a candlelight march demanding justice.

Metro stations such as the one at Seelampur (above) witness huge footfalls as DTC buses kept off the roads due to the strike called by workers. (Sonu Mehta)

The Congress demanded that the Delhi government should pay Rs 1 crore compensation. “The DTC bus driver’s family should be given Rs 1 crore as compensation and his next of kin should be given a permanent job in the DTC,” said the chief spokesperson of Congress’s Delhi unit, Sharmistha Mukherjee. “The entire incident is deplorable,” she added.

Meanwhile, BJP also demanded the arrest of AAP MLA Pramila Tokas for abusing a scheduled caste woman and humilating her. Upadhyay claimed that farmers complained to him that no proper survey of losses that the farmers suffered had been conducted by the government.