The chairman of the Zone 32 minibus association and a conductor were placed on $25,000 bail each for assaulting each other to cause actual bodily harm, when they appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson.

James Cowsim, 50, of KK Blankenburg, West Coast Demerara (WCD) pleaded not guilty to unlawfully assaulting Navindra Kuar so as to cause him actual bodily harm on January 14 at Brickdam. Kuar, 23, of 416 Block X Cornelia Ida, WCD, pleaded not guilty to unlawfully assaulting Cowsim at the same place on the same day.

Representing Cowsim, attorney-at-law Mohamed Zafar told the court that his client is the driver of minibus BGG 9771 and the father of three. He said too that Cowsim has no antecedents and is the chairman of the Zone 32 minibus association.

As chairman he was asked to talk to Kuar who had violated the association’s policy which prohibited a driver or conductor from soliciting passengers.

Zafar said further that Kuar is usually aggressive to his client and had made use of threatening language to him.

Meanwhile, Kuar told the court that Cowsim came up to him and “slap me jus’ like that” and he retaliated by cuffing him.

After listening to both sides, the magistrate placed the men on bail. They are to return to court on January 28.