A conductor of a government-run ‘Mukhyamantri Bus’ forced two minor boys to travel nearly 25 kilometers beyond their intended stop after they failed to pay a Rs 10 fare.
The incident occurred in Mayurbhanj district on Sunday afternoon when Piyush, a Class VI student from Baishinga, and his cousin Rohit, a Class VII student from Nadpur, boarded the bus from Nadpur Chhak. The boys assured conductor Pratap Baitha that Piyush’s father would pay the fare upon arrival at Baishinga. However, when the bus reached the stop, the father was not present.
Instead of ensuring the children’s safety, Baitha refused to let them alight and forced them to continue the journey to the last stop at Kanthi in the Kalama area. The boys were only rescued two hours later when the bus returned to Baishinga.
Local residents and family members confronted the conductor at Baishinga market, where he was publicly reprimanded and made to apologize after being forced to do sit-ups by angry villagers. The incident has sparked widespread outrage and calls for stricter accountability in public transport services.
