Senior citizen fractures bone after private bus hits speed bump

BENGALURU: A 62-year-old man travelling from Payyanur in Kerala to Bengaluru on June 17 was left with a fractured thigh bone after a bus operated by Kallada Travels hit a speed breaker near Mysuru.
The family has spent over Rs 4 lakh on P Mohan’s treatment so far. He has undergone two major surgeries at a private hospital in Whitefield, his son Sudheesh Mohan told TOI on Thursday.
“My father boarded the bus from Payyanur in Kannur district on the evening of June 17 and was seated in the last row. The bus was speeding and suddenly, it hit a speed breaker and my father sustained an injury. He pleaded for help but the bus crew applied pain relief spray and refused to take him to the nearest medical centre. When he wanted to relieve himself, they handed over an empty water bottle instead of halting the bus somewhere,” claimed Sudheesh.
“He was writhing in pain till the next morning. When the bus reached Bengaluru, he called me and I took him to the hospital,” he said.
Sudheesh said they haven’t received any assistance from Kallada Travels so far. “When I informed them about the incident, they sent me third-party insurance papers via email. They claimed they couldn’t do anything more and didn’t even visit us,” said Sudheesh, adding that they’re planning to file a police complaint.
Kallada Travels was unavailable for a comment.
The operator has been in news for the wrong reasons. On Thursday, Kerala police arrested a Kallada bus staffer after he allegedly tried to molest a Tamil Nadu woman who was travelling from Kannur to Kollam. In April, the staffer of a bus allegedly assaulted two passengers who were travelling from Kochi to Bengaluru when they questioned the delay in providing a new vehicle after the earlier bus had a breakdown.
Kerala bus operators warn of strike
Passengers travelling in private buses between Bengaluru and Kerala are likely to be affected as a section of Kerala bus operators has threatened to go on an indefinite strike protesting harassment by the Kerala transport department. They have alleged Kerala transport officials are collecting Rs 10,000 per vehicle a day. Many commuters are forced to rely on private buses due to shortage of inter-city trains and state-run buses.