Conductor’s death: UP transport minister says no link between dismissal and alleged suicide, inquiry underway

Lucknow, August 31

Uttar Pradesh Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh on Thursday said an inquiry has been initiated into the alleged suicide of the contractual bus conductor, who was sacked after a video of a bus being stopped to allow the Muslim passengers to offer namaz went viral.

The minister added that the initial probe report has not found any link between bus conductor Mohit Yadav’s dismissal and his death.

In June this year, some passengers had complained at the Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS) that the Bareilly-Kaushambi bus was being stopped so that some passengers could offer namaz during the journey and Yadav’s service was terminated after he was found guilty in the investigation.

Speaking to PTI, Singh said that an investigation has been initiated into Yadav’s death under suspicious circumstances in Mainpuri. In the preliminary report received, it appears that his death has nothing to do with his dismissal, he said.

Singh said that the contractual bus conductor was sacked in a case of indiscipline earlier in 2016 but was later reinstated upon request.

The minister said there is a system in the department under which a dismissed employee can appeal for his reinstatement, but the preliminary inquiry report found that Yadav had not filed any application for his reinstatement after being sacked in June this year.

“If Yadav had made any complaint regarding his dismissal or written a suicide note in which he blamed the department then it could be said that he committed suicide out of grief over his dismissal. In the preliminary investigation report, no such thing has come to light,” the minister said, adding the matter is being investigated in detail.

The 30-year-old contractual bus conductor was dismissed on June 3 this year after the video of his bus being stopped to allow two Muslim passengers to offer namaz went viral.

His body was found under suspicious circumstances on Sunday at Ghiror in Mainpuri on a railway track.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said that he met the deceased conductor’s family and assured them of help.

“Met the family members of Mohit Yadav, shared their grief and gave a true assurance of standing with them in every situation and helping them in every way,” the Samajwadi Party president said in his post on X, formerly Twitter.

“All I have to say about this is that BJP leaders, its workers, supporters and voters should tell whether all this is justified. Are the people in the BJP not making themselves sick by keeping so much hatred in their hearts? If the people in the BJP are getting pleasure from someone’s misery then one day this habit will distance them from their own people as well. The people in the BJP should not become ill, but be sensible,” he said.

Mohit Yadav’s brother Rohit Yadav had on Wednesday said that his brother was in depression after his dismissal and it is suspected that he committed suicide due to this by jumping before the Kalindi Express passing through Kaushambi station.