It started with a disagreement over which road a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus should take. On the evening of September 28, as the bus, which goes from Dhaula Kuan to Noida Sector 62, made its way toward the Dhaula Kuan terminal, conductor Jitender Puniya (34) and bus marshal Mansingh clashed over the choice of route. The disagreement simmered through the ride and flared up once the bus reached the terminal — leaving Puniya in hospital with a grievous injury and Mansingh behind bars. Mansingh, police said, had allegedly bitten off Puniya's middle finger on the left hand. A police officer said: “An argument broke out between the marshal and the conductor. The marshal wanted the bus to take the Lajpat Nagar-Ring Road flyover. But the conductor insisted on a parallel route. Puniya got his way. The bus took the alternative route, going through the Nehru Vihar area — and got stuck in traffic. Once the bus reached the Dhaula Kuan terminal, and Puniya sat down to have his lunch, Mansingh confronted him. “A quarrel broke out between them and Jitender sustained injuries. He was admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre. Medical examination confirmed that the middle finger of his left hand was completely severed due to a bite by bus marshal Mansingh,” a police officer said. Police said Puniya has been a DTC bus conductor since 2019. They added that a PCR call was received at 6.48 pm from Mansingh, who claimed he was first abused by Puniya. About an hour later, another PCR call was received from AIIMS. “Thereafter, sub-inspector Khurshid Alam visited AIIMS Trauma Centre to obtain the MLC (medico-legal) report wherein the doctor said it was an ‘amputation of left hand middle finger’ and the nature of injury was declared as grievous. Accordingly, a case under Section 117(2) BNS (corresponding to Section 325 IPC) was registered, and the accused Mansingh arrested,” the officer said.
