THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KSRTC driver Yadhu said that Mayor Arya Rajendran had threatened that she will see that he loses his job. He said that he had no intention to embarrass the mayor but she is embarrassing me in front of the others. Yadhu also responded that he will file a case with the Human Rights Commission.

Yadhu's response
‘I am an ordinary man and a temporary employee of KSRTC. Misuse of power is being shown towards me. She is taking revenge. Saying that there is an old case against me is a lie. There is no such case. I will go to the court in this case and will prove my innocence. The office has informed me not to enter for duty for a few days.

This was my only source of income. My salary per day is Rs 715. An ordinary daily wage labourer gets Rs 1000. I get this salary after running the vehicle hearing all these abuses. She asked whether the road belongs to my father. I don't want to deliberately embarrass the mayor, but she is doing it in front of everyone. I will also file a case with the human rights commission.

If an ordinary person had blocked a government vehicle, how many cases would have been registered. Here it is not like that. It is clear in the videos circulating that justice is on my side. The police took me like taking a terrorist. Did not even allow me to park the vehicle on one side. Madam told me that she will see that he loses his job.

A verbal dispute broke out between mayor Arya Rajendran and the driver for not giving way for her vehicle to pass. The mayor also said that he showed obscene gestures. The car carrying the mayor, her husband Sachin Dev MLA and his family stopped the KSRTC bus in front of the signal at Saphalyam Complex in Palayam. The incident happened on Saturday night at 10 pm.

The Cantonment police arrested Yadhu H, the temporary driver of Thampanoor depot. As the altercation continued, all 15 passengers in the bus got off. Another driver was brought and the bus was taken to Thampanoor.

Apart from her husband, his brother and sister-in-law were in the car with the mayor. They were returning after a wedding reception. The bus had not given them way since Pattom. They later followed the bus and brought it to a stop by overtaking and blocking it in Palayam. However, the Mayor's complaint said the bus that followed at high speed tried to hit the car and the driver showed obscene gestures.

They then chased the bus and stopped it. The mayor and the MLA got out of the car and scolded the driver. The mayor spoke after pulling open the driver's door. When the mayor said that he would be transferred and that action would be taken, the driver's reply was that she should create a situation to get the salary correctly.

The police reached the spot after the mayor informed the DCP. She also informed Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar. A case was registered against the driver for making obscene gestures. He was released on bail yesterday morning. A case has not yet been registered against the driver's complaint that he was insulted and that they tried to manhandle him.

Stopped video recording
There is a complaint that the mayor stopped one of the passengers from recording the altercation on his mobile phone and asked him to delete it. The circulating footage shows the MLA entering the bus and asking the passenger to delete it.