Mithun Das, a bus driver of North Bengal State Transport Corporation shared that in the past he faced many bad experiences.
The RG Kar Incident has shocked the state of West Bengal. The state was rocked by a series of protests affecting public movement. The case is presently being investigated by the CBI following a judgement of the Supreme Court. To protest against the brutality of the incident and seek justice, the West Bengal Student Union announced a march to Nabanna, State Secretariat on August 27. The police took the necessary steps to keep the condition under control. The position BJP wing found the action brutal and in response they announced a 12-hour Bengal Bandh today, August 28. The band impacted the whole state. The district of Uttar Dinajpur was also affected due to this.
According to reports, the vehicular movement was highly affected in several areas of the state. To protect the workers and drivers of government buses against potential attacks from bandh supporters, the state’s transportation department has reportedly taken an innovative step. The government has provided helmets to all bus drivers. Since the start of the day, drivers of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) buses in Islampur have been seen wearing helmets while operating their buses.
Taking about this, Mithun Das, a bus driver of NBSTC shared that in the past he faced many bad experiences. He said, “I had several bad experiences in the past. The government has instructed us to drive the buses as per the normal schedule so we are ordered to wear helmets while driving by our depot. Driving during bandhs is very difficult as I have to save the bus and the passengers in it while controlling the mob. Many times bandh supporters through stones at us and vandalise our vehicles. For such situations, we have been instructed to wear it.”
The government of West Bengal announced yesterday that they will not encourage the bandh and will make sure free passage for the normal public. Movement of trains was also affected in various parts of the state.
