Tiff over ticket: Drunk passenger kills bus conductor

CHENNAI: A 54-year-old government bus conductor died early on Saturday after being assaulted by a drunk passenger on a moving bus. S Murugan of Sonnambedu village in Chengalpattu district, a daily-wage labourer, has been arrested and remanded in judicial custody for murder on Saturday. 

According to police, the bus bound for Villupuram, operated by driver Gunasekaran and conductor Perumal Pillai of Kallakurichi, left Koyambedu CMBT bus terminus around 2.30am on Saturday. When the bus reached Madurantakam around 3.20am with five passengers, Murugan boarded the bus in an inebriated state.

“When Perumal Pillai asked him to buy a ticket, Murugan picked up an argument and refused to pay. As Perumal asked him to get off the bus, the ruffian started attacking him,” a police officer said. Fellow passengers and driver Gunasekaran rescued Perumal and managed to push Murugan out of the vehicle. A few minutes  later, when the bus was approaching Melmaruvathur, Perumal complained of chest pain and collapsed. Gunasekaran, halted the bus and rushed him in an ambulance to a nearby hospital, but he was declared brought dead. 

The passengers were transferred to another bus, police said. The Madurantakam police registered a case and a special team formed under SP G Suguna Singh arrested the accused. The victim, who has served in the transport department for nearly 30 years, is survived by his wife and two children. Police said Perumal was a diabetic and he may have collapsed after his head hit one of the rods in the bus during the altercation with Murugan.

Perumal Pillai’ body has been sent to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital for postmortem. CM M K Stalin announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh to Perumal’s family. Transport minister S S Sivasankar visited the victim’s family and offered his condolences.