In the days since a video of a policewoman from Haryana refusing to buy a ticket in a Rajasthan Roadways bus went viral, officials of both states have been issuing challans to dozens of roadways buses from the other state.
The issue began with the purported video of a Haryana policewoman inside a Rajasthan roadways bus. In the viral video, the cop, with her face covered with a dupatta, is headed to Dharuhera in Haryana on the Rajasthan–Haryana border, but refuses to buy the Rs 50 ticket. The bus conductor asks her to get down but she responds with a firm no. As an argument ensues between the two, she says she is “staff,” insisting the Rs 50 ticket is not applicable to her. With the bus stopped and other annoyed passengers asking her to pay, she says “it works in Haryana (roadways)”, before someone points out “it is a Rajasthan roadways bus”. It is not clear how the situation ended.
After the video went viral, Haryana traffic police personnel started stopping and issuing challan to several Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) buses over two days, also clicking photos with the buses they had challaned. In one of the videos where Haryana traffic police personnel are seen issuing a challan to a Rajasthan Roadways bus, one of the Haryana cops is seen stating over a call, purportedly to a protesting Rajasthan official, that he has fined the maximum fine possible, including for driving without licence, seatbelt, dress, misbehaving, etc.
“They are mostly issuing challans to non-AC buses,” an RSRTC conductor told The Indian Express. Manoj Kumar Bansal, general manager (traffic), with the RSRTC said that about 40 RSRTC buses have been issued challans by Haryana traffic police for lane change, driver not wearing uniform, not wearing a seatbelt, etc. “While some challans are for Rs 500 – 1000, some are as high as Rs 5,000,” Bansal said, adding that all but one RSRTC bus issued a challan are non-AC.
Another senior RSRTC official said, “They issued challans to 39 RSRTC buses over two days and Rajasthan did it only for two hours today (Sunday).”
The official also claimed that Rajasthan traffic police have seized eight Haryana Roadways buses on Sunday and issued challans to over 100 of them. However, other sources put the number of Rajasthan buses which were issued a challan at 90 and that of Haryana buses which were issued a challan at 26.
“Their action (of issuing challans to RSRTC buses) was reciprocal after the video went viral. We kept requesting them to not file challans but it seems that the Haryana police associated the video with their pride. And issuing challans to 39 of our buses cannot be done without the instructions of higher ups,” the official alleged. He said that the “indiscriminate challans have also affected the morale of our employees.”
RSRTC chairperson Shubhra Singh described the issue as “a little unfortunate and uncalled for”. “We have kept our restraint and we are seeking an amicable resolution,” she said, adding that the Rajasthan government “is trying at the administrative level to resolve this issue.”
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