A BEST office staffer was beaten up by a BEST driver in the wee hours of Friday in Parel. The police have registered a case against the driver, Vijay Kanade, who allegedly hit Sunil Mithbavkar (53), a member of the committee that had suspended him (Kanade) for misbehaviour. Mithbavkar has been admitted to a hospital and is out of danger.

Mithbavkar, who is deputed at the Colaba bus depot, keeps a record of buses and the driver-conductor assigned to them. A few days ago, Kanade, who is attached to the same depot, had a heated argument with a passenger. The passenger then gave a written complaint to the depot manager. A committee constituted to investigate the complaint, found Kanade guilty. “Kanade was suspended by the committee for a day, which made him furious,” said an officer from Bhoiwada police station. “Kanade somehow felt Mithbavkar was responsible for his suspension as he had a lot of influence with the employees’ union. So, he decided to take revenge,” the officer said.