A 43-year-old employee of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) from Kolhapur district was found dead near Parel bus depot in central Mumbai early on Saturday, police said. The deceased, Mahesh Lole, a resident of Ichalkaranji in Kolhapur, worked as a bus conductor, an official said. Police did not suspect any foul play in his death, as they said that it appeared to be case of natural death.

The body was found at a time when a large number of employees of the state transport body, which has over 90,000 persons on its payrolls, have been on strike since November 2021. On Friday, a group of MSRTC workers held a fierce protest outside NCP chief Sharad Pawar's Mumbai residence, accusing the veteran leader of not doing anything to help them.