Stop bus if commuters found wielding weapons: MTC administration

CHENNAI : A day after a group of students ‘hijacked’ a bus, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has directed the drivers not to operate the buses if anyone is found carrying lethal weapons.In an official advisory issued on Friday, the MTC administration has stated that the bus should be stopped immediately if the commuters are found displaying knives or sickles. “In such cases, the bus should be driven to nearby police station. If it’s not possible, then the vehicle should be stopped at the nearest signal and traffic police should be called for assistance,” explained a highly placed source, quoting the advisory issued to MTC workers.

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The official added the same procedures should be followed when students try to hijack buses and create ruckus.The guidelines were issued after a video went viral on Thursday in which a bunch of students were hanging on footboard carrying swords in 57P bus that ran between Karanodai and Broadway.S Krishnan of Perambur, a regular commuter, who is also a bus enthusiast, said that until 1995, incidents of students hijacking buses and engaging in stunts to get attention of girls mostly happened on select routes including 27H (Avadi-Anna Square), 29C (Perambur - Thiruvanmiyur) and 12B (Vadapalani - Foreshore Estate), as these buses covered most number of women’s colleges in the city. Though such a trend spread across the city, weapons strike fear among us” he said.

Ten months ago, a group of students, who carried knives and sickles in the Chennai-Tiruvallur suburban railway section, were arrested. Since then the Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force have intensified vigil.“We were told police deployment would be increased during rush hour on select routes to monitor buses that connect select city colleges,” said the MTC official. With a fleet of 3,200, MTC caters to about 37 lakh people a day.

four more students held for hijacking bus
Chennai:A day after a group of armed students hijacked an MTC bus and circulated a video in social media, four more students of the Presidency College were arrested on Friday. Three of the students were below 18 years of age, police said, adding that a search was on for other students involved in the incident. Meanwhile, the city Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan, who took part in an event in the Presidency College on Friday, appealed to the students to use their energies in constructive manner. “The behaviour of a few students has created a wrong impression about the entire college,” he said,  addressing the students after distributing prizes to winners of a sports competition organised at the college.