Kasaragod: A teetotaller KSRTC mechanic has been suspended after a breathalyser test flagged him for alcohol consumption — a result he says is entirely misleading.
Rajesh P, a Grade-I mechanic at the Kanhangad depot with 14 years of service, was taken aback, not by the positive result but by what he calls the “mechanical” and one-sided action that followed.
“I have never consumed alcohol in my life,” he said. Rajesh says he recently began taking rasayanam — a traditional Ayurvedic preparation — to relieve persistent nerve pain in his legs following a spinal injury. “I take it every day, once before bed and once in the morning on an empty stomach,” he said. “Everyone in the depot knows that.”
But during the routine breathalyser check on March 20, the machine recorded 67 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath — more than double the legal limit of 30.
He immediately told Inspector S K Chandra Naik about the Ayurvedic medication. “He said it was nothing to worry about, so I was relieved,” Rajesh said.
But four days later, on March 24, a suspension order arrived from the Vigilance wing of the Administrative Department.
Shocked, Rajesh wrote to the District Transport Officer, requesting a hearing and a controlled retest — both before and after consuming the decoction. “I even went to the District Hospital to get a blood test done,” he said. “But the doctors told me they could only proceed if the police or my higher-ups requested it.”
Rajesh’s health problems began in 2021 when he fell from the terrace of his home in Kodakkad while cleaning the roof. “I injured my lower spine badly and had to get an implant,” he said. “It was supposed to be removed in six months, but I couldn’t afford the surgery.” He underwent surgery to remove the implant only last December.
Since then, he’s been battling persistent pain in his legs. Doctors told him the issue was with his sciatic and peroneal nerves — both vital for movement and sensation in the legs. “That’s why I turned to a traditional healer,” he said. “He gave me the decoction to help with nerve strength.”
On March 19, Rajesh was on the 4 pm to midnight shift. “I took one dose before going to sleep, and another the next morning at 6 am, before reporting for duty,” he said. “I completely forgot about the routine breathalyser check.”
He says he’s not denying the reading — just asking for context and compassion. “But they didn’t even ask me anything before suspending me.”
Calls made to the KSRTC inspector went unanswered.