Physically challenged scribe ‘manhandled’ by Orbit Bus staff

A PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED journalist with a vernacular newspaper has submitted a written complaint to the Ropar police, alleging that staff on a Orbit Bus, owned by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s family, manhandled and misbehaved with him.

According to Talwinder Singh Buttar, who hails from Anandpur Sahib, he was on his way from Patiala from Ropar on Tuesday afternoon when the incident occurred. “I was in an ordinary Orbit bus. I gave Rs 100 to the conductor and asked for a half ticket as I am physically challenged. I also gave him my bus pass issued by the deputy commissioner as per the government’s directions for physically challenged people,” Talwinder said, adding that the conductor, in his early 20s, began misbehaving and told him that he would not be given half a ticket. “I requested him again but he did not listen and began manhandling me and using filthy language. He even said that in this bus, nobody was allowed to speak,” he alleged.

“When I went to the door to get down at the next stop, he pushed me out from the first step of the bus, which was yet to stop completely. It was also at a place where there was no bus stop and he tore my bus pass and kept the Rs 100 I had given him,” Buttar alleged. “I submitted a written complaint at the Ropar SSP’s office in the evening and SSP Varinder Pal Singh has promised to look into my complaint on Wednesday,” he added. The journalist also alleged that staff of Orbit Bus were putting pressure on him to withdraw
the complaint.

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SSP Varinder Pal Singh said he had got a call from a journalist but was yet to see the complaint. He said that police would verify the incident after receiving the complaint.

Orbit Bus manager Harbhajan Singh told some media persons that the offending conductor has been dismissed from his job.