Hyderabad: Ten days after she was allegedly pushed off a moving bus by a woman passenger, Gundla Pravalika, a conductor with the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC), succumbed to her injuries at a private hospital in Hyderabad on Wednesday. She had sustained grievous injuries in the incident at Mittagudem Centre in Aswapuram mandal of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district.Following Pravalika’s death, Aswapuram police altered the case against the accused, B Mounika, from attempt to murder to murder.“The accused, who was arrested earlier, continues to be in judicial remand,” Ch Yallaiah, station house officer of Aswapuram police station, told TOI. “Although the conductor received treatment, she died due to blood loss. The victim was unmarried,” he added.The incident occurred on Oct 25, when Pravalika was on duty, operating a bus between Manuguru and Bhadrachalam along with driver K Jampaiah. A heated argument reportedly broke out between Pravalika and Mounika over change for the bus fare. During the altercation, Mounika allegedly pushed the conductor out of the moving bus, causing her right leg to come under the rear wheels.The 24-year-old conductor was rushed to a local hospital, where she received initial treatment. She was subsequently shifted to a private hospital in Hyderabad for further treatment, but succumbed to her injuries.Chief minister A Revanth Reddy expressed grief over Pravalika’s death and conveyed his condolences to her family. “He conveyed deep condolences and sympathy to her family members. The CM stated that the state govt will stand by Pravalika’s family and provide help,” the Chief Minister’s Office said in a post on X.Following the CM’s instructions, the state govt announced a job for Pravalika’s mother, a house for the family under the Indiramma Housing Scheme and an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh. The family will also be provided insurance cover of Rs 1 crore, transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar said.The minister visited Osmania General Hospital, where Pravalika’s postmortem examination was conducted.According to police, Mounika boarded the bus around 9 am on the day of the incident at the Manuguru flower market, accompanied by her son. She availed herself of a zero-fare ticket by furnishing her Aadhaar card and handed Pravalika a Rs 100 note to purchase a half ticket, priced at Rs 10, for her minor son.“When the female conductor asked for Rs 10 in change, the accused refused. This led to an argument, and the accused allegedly hurled abuses at the victim,” a police officer said.The bus was subsequently stopped, and Mounika was asked to get down. However, she refused and insisted that the RTC staff drop her at the point where she had boarded the bus, police said.As the driver resumed the journey, the argument reportedly continued. When the bus reached Mittagudem Centre, Mounika allegedly pushed Pravalika out of the moving vehicle, causing her serious injuries.Mounika had claimed that the conductor was standing on the footboard and had accidentally fallen off the bus. However, other passengers reportedly contradicted her account, alleging that Mounika had pushed Pravalika.
