New Delhi: A row over the dismissal of Delhi’s bus marshals about a year ago intensified this month when several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders were detained while protesting for the reinstatement of the marshals outside the lieutenant governor’s residence.
For now, the former bus marshals have halted their protests temporarily until Diwali but plan to continue their fight if they don’t get their jobs back. The marshals were removed on the grounds that they were essentially civil defence volunteers who should primarily assist during natural disasters and not focus on public transport safety.
The protests began last November when the L-G dismissed around 10,000 marshals appointed by the AAP government under then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. The detention of AAP leaders, including minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, was the latest flashpoint in the tussle between the AAP government and Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
Speaking to the media just before his detention on 5 October, Bhardwaj said citizens of Delhi had been “cheated” with the dismissal of the marshals, who were hired in response to growing concerns about women’s safety, particularly after the 2012 Nirbhaya case.
The AAP alleges the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has stepped back from its promise to regularize the marshals through the lieutenant governor, who is appointed by the Centre, after the Delhi Assembly passed a resolution on 26 September demanding their reinstatement. Both BJP and AAP legislators had supported the resolution.
The marshals were first appointed in October 2015 to ensure the safety of passengers, especially women, on a public buses.
In early 2019, a Task Force for Women’s Safety in Public Transport was constituted under the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDC). The recommendations of this Task Force, submitted in July 2019 in the form of an Action Plan, aimed at strengthening safety measures in public transport, which included the deployment of bus marshals.
Prior to the appointment of marshals, lack of personnel dedicated to maintaining order and safety in buses had led to concerns about the efficacy of existing security arrangements.
According to a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) draft report, as of 2019, the fleet of DTC buses had a total of 3,356 bus marshals—95.5 per cent of them being civil defence volunteers (CDVs)—deployed only in the afternoon and evening shifts, which was a shortfall of 49.63 per cent, considering the total trips in a day.
“Thousands of bus marshals, who have been struggling for more than a year without income, are gathered here today with a simple demand: justice,” Bhardwaj had told media outlets outside the Raj Niwas on 5 October. “These individuals have families to support, rent to pay, and children to educate. Despite the assembly’s resolution, their plight continues, and the LG has shown no willingness to address the issue,” he added.
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Have marshals outlived their purpose?
As the marshals stare at an uncertain future, a bigger question emerges: Were they truly making a difference in ensuring the safety of passengers?
Aditya Rai, a protesting former marshal, believes they made a difference. “Our primary role was to maintain order, prevent harassment, and assist passengers in distress. During the pandemic, we also ensured compliance with COVID-19 protocols,” he told ThePrint.
“Women and children were vulnerable on Delhi buses, and it was our responsibility to ensure their safety, which we carried out with utmost honesty and integrity,” Rai added. He also said that they played a proactive role in ensuring passenger safety, recounting specific instances where he intervened to help women in distress. “While I was working, I saw daily two or three cases of harassment and many cases of theft in Delhi buses.”
Adding, “There was this case where I helped a female student whose phone got stolen and was harassed by the same person. I caught the guy and helped her file an FIR.”
Rai further claimed that women feel unsafe in the absence of bus marshals and were opting for alternative modes of transportation. “Now women know there are no marshals in buses and, because of that, they don’t travel by bus. They usually take autos or the metro because they know they are not safe,” he said.
Sneha Singh, another former bus marshal, too emphasised the critical role marshals played in enhancing passenger safety on Delhi’s buses. “In my tenure, I assisted not only women but also children who were lost while travelling on a bus,” Singh said.
She remembered intervening regularly to prevent misbehaviour with women, particularly in seating disputes. “I took it upon myself to ensure a safe environment so that no one felt unsafe during their commute,” she said.
But commuters ThePrint spoke to held a different opinion.
Lata Das, a 43-year-old frequent commuter on Delhi buses, said she believed the presence of marshals did not significantly enhance passenger safety and they often failed to intervene in conflicts. “It doesn’t matter if marshals are there in a bus or not,” she said.
“Many times, I’ve witnessed fights in buses—whether over seats or instances of misbehaviour—and the marshals didn’t intervene unless things escalated to a more serious level,” said Das, adding that she travelled by bus because it was affordable.
Similarly, 40-year-old passenger Ram recounted how marshals did nothing to help when his phone was stolen while traveling on a bus.
He recalled another incident in which marshals didn’t step in when a fight erupted after a man misbehaved with a woman and refused to give up his seat.
A security manager at DTC said the corporation conducts regular surveys to assess the effectiveness of marshals in ensuring a safe environment for passengers. He noted that some home guards continue to serve as bus marshals on certain routes and are actively fulfilling their responsibilities.
According to the DTC draft report cited earlier, bus marshals are subject to a structured accountability system that involves monitoring passenger feedback. Whenever a complaint is filed by a passenger, the respective marshal is promptly informed. If a marshal accumulates more than two complaints in a month, they receive a formal warning.
However, should the number of complaints exceed three, the consequences become more severe, potentially resulting in termination of their duties. In such cases, the marshal would be returned to their parent department, highlighting the importance of maintaining a high standard of conduct and ensuring passenger safety and satisfaction.
The security manager acknowledged that DTC had received some complaints against marshals but authorities had taken immediate action in these cases. He said there were no comprehensive records of the number of complaints filed against marshals, raising concerns about accountability and the supervision of their performance.
Installing cameras, panic buttons
Some passengers said they believe the government, instead of reinstating marshals, should invest in technological solutions such as surveillance cameras and panic buttons to enhance safety on Delhi’s public buses. They argued that these measures could be a more effective deterrent against harassment and crime, ensuring a safer environment for all passengers.
“Cameras would act as a significant deterrent, and having panic buttons would empower passengers to call for help immediately when needed,” said a commuter who did not wish to be named.
However, marshals believe technology alone cannot ensure a safe environment for passengers and their physical presence on buses can play a crucial role in preventing harassment. They argued that cameras and panic buttons will only provide post-incident assistance but won’t guarantee the physical safety of passengers during an incident.
“Even in big offices and important places, cameras are installed but they still employ guards to ensure safety. How can we expect cameras and panic buttons alone to protect passengers in buses?” asked former bus marshal Sneha Singh.
Vartika Singh is an intern with ThePrint
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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