Tista Banerjee recounts her encounter with the rogue conductor. Picture by Aranya Sen

A 32-year-old woman was kicked off a bus by one of its conductors following a dispute over fares in Thakurpukur on Sunday afternoon.

Tista Banerjee retaliated by pulling at the bag of the conductor, Dilip Bhandari. As Bhandari got off the bus to collect the coins that got scattered on the road, bystanders caught him and dragged him to Thakurpukur police station.

Praveen Kumar, the superintendent of police (South 24-Parganas), said Bhandari has been arrested and a case lodged against him.

Banerjee, a resident of Behala Chowrasta, is doing MA in English from Ignou. She had gone to Gol Park for tuition.

After class, she boarded a bus on route SD16 (WB 6959) on her way home around 12.30pm. She gave the conductor Rs 5 for a ticket.

As the bus neared Simultala, the conductor asked her where she would get off. “When I told him Chowrasta, he demanded 50 paise more. I protested, as I knew the fare was Rs 5, but he started abusing me,” recalled Banerjee.

She was shocked to see that all of her co-passengers were mute witnesses to the drama. She thought it wise not to fight with the rogue conductor and handed over the change and the ticket to him.

When the bus approached Behala Chowrasta, Banerjee went to the conductor and asked for her ticket. Once again, the conductor hurled abuses at her.

The woman this time protested Bhandari’s foul language, even as the bus moved on to Janakalyan, past her stop.

“I told the conductor I wanted to get off and as I stepped on the footboard, he kicked me from behind,” recalled Banerjee.

“I soon regained my balance and turned around to face him, but he kicked me again. This time, the kick landed on my shoulder, barely missing my face. I felt he had gone too far and I pulled at his bag. As the coins scattered on the road, he came down from the bus to collect them. Bystanders then caught hold of him,” said Banerjee.

She later lodged a complaint, along with the registration number of the bus, with Thakurpukur police station.