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Two different cases involving punishments for “ dereliction of duty” were imposed on two individuals with glaringly contradicting outcomes recently.
The first one involved the suspension of a conductor of UP State Road Transport Corporation for having stopped the bus for two minutes on 03.06.2023 by the roadside, to facilitate ‘Namaz’ by two Muslim passengers and also to help other passengers to relieve themselves. This act of “dereliction of duty” captured on video went viral and sent shock waves across the entire UP and the conductor was sacked immediately, and driver’s pay was cut by 50% for the “ heinous crime” committed by them.
In a couple of months, tragically, the conductor ended his life by jumping in front of a train. He was a contractual employee earning a monthly pay of around Rs.17000. After the job loss he was pushed to abject poverty and was struggling for survival. He was the only earning member of the eight member family. The life of a young man of just 32 years was snuffed out because of the inhuman act of UPSRTC. Now his family is virtually on the roads without any hope of survival. Who is responsible for the loss of a precious life? Who will compensate for the loss of their only earning member of the family?
With a severe 50% pay cut imposed on him, the UPSRTC also ensured that the driver would never stop the bus even if there was a grave emergency. Thanks to the exemplary punishment meted out to him by the Corporation.
The second incident was involving the Karnataka Governor Mr.Thawaar Chand Gahlot who had to miss the AirAsia flight from Bangalore to Hyderabad on 27.07.2023 as the Aircraft didn’t wait for the delayed arrival of the VVIP passenger and flew with other 100 common passengers as per the time schedule to avoid delay to them.
Not holding back, the Aircraft for the arrival of the VVIP passenger, invited the wrath of the high and mighty and the AirAsia management was summoned to the Governor’s office and explanation was called for.
The Air Asia management expressed deep regrets and offered apologies to the Governor’s Office for the unfortunate incident. As a fall out of the incident, It suspended the airline’s woman staffer posted at the boarding gate and the man stationed on the ramp that afternoon over ‘dereliction of duty’ and de-roasted many ground staff members holding them responsible for the incident.
This was shocking. Both the staffers actually deserved appreciation from the management for their diligence to duty. Instead, they were suspended by the management in a knee-jerk reaction to please the political bosses.
In a society where people get away with despicable crimes like murder, rape, arson, looting, fraud, parading women naked etc., awarding capital punishment for a humanitarian gesture of stopping the bus for two minutes for the benefit of passengers and for displaying exemplary diligence of duty by not stopping the aircraft for the VVIP to avoid delay to other common passengers, is a glaring example of how the high and the powerful can destroy the lives of the weak and the vulnerable because of the positions they hold.
Is going beyond the call of duty a curse in this society?
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.