Conductor dies, driver injured as bus catches fire

PORBANDAR: The conductor of a Gujarat State Transport bus was killed and the driver was seriously injured when the bus suddenly caught fire at Rojivada village near Porbandar early on Sunday.

According to the police, the incident took place around 2 am and a battery short circuit is cited as the cause.

According to earlier reports, miscreants had torched the bus.

The conductor who was killed in the incident has been identified as Rambhai, the police said.

The injured driver was taken to Porbandar hospital where his condition was stated to be serious.

Following the incident, Gujarat State Transport employees of Porbandar and Mangrol went on a strike, which they called off later, sources here said.

On November 30, a mob had set ablaze a state transport bus near Narsangh Takeri in the city in protest against the alleged desecration of the statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in Kanpur.