DTC bus marshal arrested for biting off conductor's finger after quarrel over route

New Delhi, Oct 3 (PTI) A DTC bus marshal was arrested for allegedly biting off the conductor's finger following a quarrel over the route of an electric bus, an official said on Friday.

The incident occurred on the evening of September 28 when conductor Jitender Kumar Puniya (34), a resident of Munirka, was on duty with a bus that runs between Sector 62 in Noida and Dhaula Kuan.

Puniya has been working with DTC since 2019 on a contract basis, the official added.

The accused, identified as Marshal Mansingh, was arrested for biting off the finger of the conductor after a quarrel broke out between them. "The bus driver and marshal wanted to take the electric bus via the Lajpat Nagar Ring Road flyover, while conductor Jitender insisted on taking the parallel road instead. This led to an argument," a senior police officer said.

Around 5:30 pm, the vehicle got stuck in heavy traffic near Nehru Nagar, causing a significant delay. The quarrel escalated when the bus reached Dhaula Kuan terminal around 6:30 pm.

While the driver went for tea, Puniya remained seated in the bus to eat his meal. At this point, Marshal Mansingh allegedly approached him and started an argument, hurling abuses.

When Puniya protested, the marshal attacked him, and during the assault, bit his left-hand middle finger so severely that the tip was severed, police said.

Hearing the conductor's cries, people present at the terminal rushed to his aid and managed to free him from the accused's grip. Puniya then called the police control room at 07:46 pm, and a PCR van took him to the AIIMS Trauma Centre.

Doctors said that his finger had been amputated and declared the injury grievous, the officer added.

Senior police officers said that on the day of the incident, Puniya could not give a full statement due to severe pain. His detailed complaint was recorded the next day, and on the basis of which, a case under section 117(2) (offence of voluntarily causing grievous hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at South Campus Police Station.

Meanwhile, police also received a separate PCR call from Mansingh himself at 6:48 pm, claiming that the conductor was quarrelling with him.

"The medical opinion confirmed grievous injury caused by a human bite. The accused was arrested, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the sequence of events," the officer added.

A senior DTC official said, "Disciplinary proceedings were initiated. The concerned bus marshal has been repatriated to his parent cadre, which will initiate further action against him." PTI SSJ SLB HIG