August 10, 2026

UP Bus Conductor's Suicide: Who Is Responsbile?

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2023-09-01 08:21:44

About the Author

Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

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In a tragic incident, bus conductor Mohit Yadav, a contractual employee of the UP State Transport Corporation (UPSTC), was found dead alongside railway tracks in what appeared to be a suicide. Yadav was depressed since June when he lost his job after he ostensibly stopped the bus to let some passengers urinate. During the stoppage, a couple of Muslim passengers alighted from the bus and offered namaz on the side of the road. Some passengers in the bus made a video of the same and posted it in social media, alleging that the bus had been stopped by Yadav to facilitate the namaz of the Muslim passengers. Yadav was sacked for that and was unable to look after his family without income. He often talked about taking the extreme step if he did not get his job back.

It is a given fact that in India, state transport buses stop for many reasons. Hence, even if Yadav had stopped the bus to facilitate namaz, was it a crime? It is reported that the bus did not stop for more than a few minutes and other passengers had requested the stoppage as they wanted to urinate. As India is being pushed towards Islamophobia, a simple act of Muslim passengers offering namaz when the bus had stopped for some other reason is being twisted to allege that Yadav stopped the bus for them. Did the UPSTC conduct a fair inquiry before dismissing Yadav? It is also being reported that not only was Yadav suspended from duty, he was abused and insulted by senior officials.

A life has been lost due to the reduced tolerance level of some passengers and uncaring UPSTC officials who did not think it fit to verify facts and let their bias rule their mind.