Thiruvananthapuram: KSRTC Managing Director Tomin J Thachankary has rewarded a police officer belonging to Tamil Nadu for saving the buses of the corporation from stone-pelting. Kaliyikkavila SI Mohana Iyer had displayed exemplary courage on the Kerala- Tamil Nadu border during Thursday’s hartal and ensured that no KSRTC bus that passed that way was damaged. Incidentally, over 100 KSRTC buses were destroyed across Kerala by hartal supporters.
Thachankary presented a citation as well as a cash prize of Rs 1,000 to Iyer in recognition of his service to KSRTC. The Transport Corporation MD also called Iyer over phone to express his gratitude, to which the Tamil Nadu police officer replied that he was a fan of Thachankary since childhood.
Iyer told Manorama that buses are meant for the transportation of all people, including strikers. “Nobody will break the law if the police act firmly. I had only a small team of police personnel at Kaliyikkavila, one of the busiest spots on the National Highway when the tension broke out. Even a small disruption at Kaliyikkavila would lead to a major traffic jam, which prompted me to face the hartal supporters head on,” he said.
“After I succeeded in dissuading the agitators from pelting stones at KSRTC buses and images of the incident were circulated widely on social media, I am flooded with congratulatory messages from both Tamil Nadu and Kerala,” added Iyer.
It was on Thursday evening that a group of people began blocking buses at Kaliyikkavila on the state border in connection with the hartal and in protest against the attacks on Ayyappa devotees. When they threatened to indulge in stone-pelting at buses, SI Mohana Iyer intervened. “Dare to touch the buses if you can face the consequences,” said the SI boldly to the hartal supporters.
The police officer’s firm stand took the agitators by surprise and they could not match him in courage. All the blocked buses were soon allowed to leave without any damage.
When the visuals of this real-life drama became viral on the social media, Thachankary contacted Tamil Nadu ADGP Shailendra Babu, who is also his batch mate, and obtained the SI’s phone number.
Iyer is a native of Tirunelveli.
