Haryana Roadways Employees Go On Strike Over Death Of Driver

 Haryana Roadways buses remained off the road on Wednesday due to a strike by employees to protest the killing of a bus driver in Ambala earlier this week. The strike caused major inconvenience to passengers on Bhai Dooj.

The employees called off their strike Wednesday night after a meeting with Haryana Transport Minister Mool Chand Sharma in Chandigarh. After the meeting, the minister said normal services would resume from Wednesday night itself.

The employees began their strike Tuesday midnight demanding the arrest of the assailants and compensation to the family of the victim.

Haryana Roadways bus driver Rajveer, 51, died after he was attacked by unidentified assailants in Ambala Sunday night, police had said. Rajveer, who was on parking duty, was allegedly attacked by four to five occupants of a car following an argument.

An injured Rajveer was brought to the Civil Hospital of Ambala Cantonment in a critical condition and later referred to the PGIMER in Chandigarh, where he died during treatment, they said.

Rajveer, a resident of Sonipat, was posted at the Ambala Cantonment Bus Stand.

The mortal remains of the deceased will be taken to his native village for the last rites Thursday morning.

After his meeting with representatives of the Haryana Roadways Employees Sanjha Union, Transport Minister Sharma said the state government stood with the family of the deceased in the hour of grief.

An official release quoting Sharma said that the son of the driver would be given a government job on the basis of his qualification. He also said financial assistance would be given to the family of the driver.

The minister said the accused have been arrested in the matter.

Earlier in the day, the protesting employees held dharnas at several bus stands, including Yamunnanagar, Charkhi Dadri, Karnal, Sonipat, Sirsa, Hisar and Narnaul, and shouted slogans.

The protesting employees demanded the arrest of the assailants, Rs 50 lakh compensation for Rajveer's family and a government job for one of his family members.

Senior Vice President of Haryana Roadways Union Raman Saini had said all roadway buses remained off the road in the state.

Because of the strike, many passengers kept waiting at bus stands for roadways busses, but had to rely on private operators.

Ambala-resident Surjit Singh, who works in Chandigarh, said that he kept waiting for the roadways buses but could not find any.

Migrant labourer Ram Saroup, who had to go to Saharanpur to visit his sister's house to celebrate Bhai Dooj, said he waited for a bus near the Ambala Cantt bus stand but failed to get any. Later, he had to hire a private taxi at an exorbitant rate.

Pratibha Rani, a government employee in Panchkula and a daily commuter, said she had to take leave as she could not get a bus to Panchkula.

At the Karnal bus stand, a passenger rued that he was unable to get any roadways bus for going to Yamunanagar, while an elderly passenger said that because of the strike, the public was facing inconvenience.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)