Kerala Mayor row: Mystery deepens as memory card on bus goes 'missing' during probe into altercation

The mayor had alleged that the driver made sexually suggestive gestures at them when they confronted him about his rash driving.

Thiruvananthapuram: The mystery over the altercation between the mayor-MLA couple in Kerala and a transport bus driver has deepened as the memory card of the CCTV cameras in the bus went missing.

Thiruvananthapuram mayor Arya Rajendran had earlier hogged the limelight for being the youngest mayor in the country. Now she, her husband CPM MLA Sachin Dev, and their close relatives are in the headlines for their altercation with a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus driver H L Yadhu in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday night.

The mayor alleged that the driver had made obscene gestures at her and another woman. The issue was over the alleged rash driving of the bus driver while the mayor, MLA and their relatives were travelling in a car on the same route.

The police on Wednesday examined the surveillance cameras of the bus as part of the probe into the mayor's complaint against the driver. But the police found that the memory cards of the cameras are missing. This triggered allegations that the memory cards were deliberately removed.

"A 64 GB memory card with the recorded visuals should have been there on the bus. There are three cameras inside the superfast bus. But the memory card is missing," a police officer told the media.

However, the driver said the camera had been operational throughout the journey and was working even after the controversial incident. He expressed his suspicion that someone might have removed it as it would prove he did nothing wrong.

The driver has also denied the mayor's charge against him of allegedly making obscene gestures. In a counter-allegation, he said it was the MLA and mayor who misbehaved with him. There are also allegations that the MLA forced some passengers in the bus to delete the video footage of the incident from their mobile phones.

Congress and BJP had been backing the driver and accusing the mayor-MLA couple, who are from the ruling CPM, of misusing their powers. The reluctance of the police to initiate action, based on the driver's complaint accusing the mayor and MLA of creating obstructions to completing his duty, has also invited criticism. The driver is planning to approach the Kerala High Court.

Congress MLA M Vincent has alleged that the memory card might have been taken away by the KSRTC authorities themselves.

"The bus has been under the custody of the KSRTC so far. The police are also acting to protect the real culprits. They have not even recorded the statements of the passengers in the bus," he alleged.

Meanwhile, the mayor has also filed a separate police complaint against the spate of cyber attacks against her about the incident. Posters ridiculing the mayor-MLA couple have also appeared across the state.

The CPM state leadership has justified the mayor-MLA couple's actions. The Thiruvananthapuram corporation even passed a resolution on Tuesday, seeking action against the driver. CPM's youth outfit DYFI alleged that the driver has a shady past and faced police cases in the past. The KSRTC authorities has also asked the driver not to report for duty till matters are resolved.

(With PTI inputs)