Thiruvananthapuram: In a shocking incident that sparked widespread criticism, a group of staff of a private bus assaulted some of the passengers who demanded that the bus company provide alternative travel arrangements after the Bengaluru-bound bus from Haripad in Alapuzha district had a break down.

Local media reports indicated that the bus broke down almost immediately after it began the journey to Bengaluru late in the evening, and passengers were annoyed when the staff parked the bus by the side of an unlit highway and left them stranded without any information about what next.

A minor scuffle broke out when some of the passengers demanded that the bus company, identified as Suresh Kallada Travels, provide alternative travel arrangements.

Local police also intervened, and when another vehicle was sent from Kochi to transport the passengers, all seemed to have ended well.

The matter took a completely unexpected turn, however, when the bus reached Kochi. Some staff members of the travel company alleged pulled out three of the passengers who had argued with the bus staff at Haripad and beat them up.

One of the passengers who was assaulted told local media that he was hit with a stone by the bus staff, and that he barely managed to escape from them, losing his bag and money in the process.

Another passenger identified as Jacob Philip, managed to take a video clip of the violence and uploaded it on social media, calling for emergency help in the early hours of Monday.

Philip posted the social media update about the incident with a video, and sent this message: “This is a distress call. Kindly send alarm to the #poIice across #kerala and #bangalore about the vehicle I am travelling and share this on all social media platforms. Contact #newspapers, Call police and newspaper first.”

Police then rushed to the spot, and arrested three members of the private bus company. Company officials, on their part, alleged that it was the passengers who assaulted the company staff.

The video of the assault sparked outrage across the state and social media was awash with calls for stringent action against private bus operators who blatantly violate passengers’ rights.

Interstate bus operations from different towns of Kerala to Chennai and Bengaluru have been on the upswing for several years, primarily owing to the tech boom in the two cities where tens of thousands of Keralites work.