Kochi: Suresh Kallada, the owner of the Kallada bus group which is mired in a row after its crew assaulted passengers, appeared before the Thrikkakara police on Thursday. Though he initially refused to surrender citing health reasons, he had to report after the authorities tightened their noose around the bus management. He reported to the Assistant Commissioner's office at the Thrikkakara police station.
Kallada bus agency was fined Rs 1.25 lakh for violating various legal requirements. Suresh Kallada has also been summoned by the Human Rights Commission on May 29.
Meanwhile, more video clippings of the assault have surfaced online. The CCTV footage shows the Kallada employees brutally assaulting the two passengers near the Vytilla Junction. The visuals reveal that the Kallada staff attacked them further even after the victims pleaded for mercy.
Passengers Ajayaghosh, Sachin and Ashkar were beaten up on Saturday night for questioning the delay in arranging an alternate vehicle after the bus they boarded broke down near Karuvatta, Haripad, in Alappuzha district. After the bus reached Vyttila in Kochi around 4 am on Sunday, some bus employees from its Ernakulam base barged in and started thrashing the passengers who raised their voices in Haripad. The youth were later dragged out of the bus as they tried to retaliate.
The bus continued on its Bangalore trip without them. The incident came to light after Jacob Philip, another passenger who was witness to the scuflle on board, recorded it on his phone and shared it online.
