New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) As two people lost their lives, and 23 others were injured after a tourist sleeper bus overturned in Delhi’s Karol Bagh area early Wednesday, several passengers alleged that the driver was intoxicated and driving at high speed at the time of the accident.
The driver, identified as 26-year-old Pankaj Kumar from Rajasthan’s Alwar, has been detained and is currently undergoing treatment at Lady Hardinge Medical College.
According to officials, a PCR call was received at around 1.05 a.m. at Karol Bagh Police Station reporting that a sleeper bus had overturned near the Jhandewalan Metro Station and Hanuman Mandir in the Chambery area, with multiple passengers injured.
The bus, bearing registration number RJ-14PE-5065, was a tourist sleeper coach with a capacity of around 70 passengers. It was travelling from Jaipur to Fatehpuri in Delhi’s Sadar Bazar area and had approximately 30 passengers on board at the time of the incident.
Passengers who survived the accident described a chaotic sequence of events leading up to the crash.
One injured passenger told IANS, “When he suddenly took a sharp turn, the vehicle overturned. We heard the conductor say that the brakes have failed. The driver consumed alcohol after entering Delhi. As soon as the bus entered Delhi, he started drinking. At a roundabout, he made a sharp turn, and the bus immediately overturned.”
Recalling the moments after the crash, she added, “When the bus overturned, everyone was focused on saving the children first. When people started arriving, they helped get the children out safely. They sustained minor injuries. Several people were critical as they were trapped under the bus.”
Another passenger alleged, “The driver was drunk, and the speed was over 100 km/hr.”
A third passenger repeated similar claims, stating, “The driver was speeding, and while on the highway, the bus engine even stalled a few times. After entering Delhi, he started drinking. A total of 30 people were travelling in the bus, and a few people had already gotten off before the bus overturned.”
Police officials said that soon after receiving the information, the Station House Officer of Karol Bagh, along with staff from the Ajmal Khan Road picket and night patrol teams, rushed to the spot. They found the bus overturned, with several passengers trapped inside and crying for help.
“Displaying promptness and presence of mind, Ct. Rohit stopped a passing JCB. The police team, along with public persons, carefully lifted the bus slightly and secured it using heavy roadside cement blocks. A rescue operation was immediately launched,” the police said in a statement.
Around 10 critically injured passengers were first pulled out and shifted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital using available ambulances. Additional police teams, including ACP under-trainee Bhanupriya, ACP Karol Bagh, SHO Prasad Nagar and SHO Nabi Karim, later joined the operation and assisted in rescuing the remaining passengers, including women and children.
In total, 23 injured persons were taken to different hospitals — 12 to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where two men succumbed to their injuries, 10 to Ganga Ram Hospital, and one to Lady Hardinge Medical College.
One of the deceased has been identified as Shehbaj Alam, 30, a resident of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh. The identity of the second victim, estimated to be around 25 to 26 years old, is yet to be established, and efforts are underway to confirm it.
The investigation is being led by Sub-Inspector Trilok, who is collecting statements and medical details of the injured from the hospitals concerned.
Officials said that necessary legal action will be initiated against the driver following the completion of the inquiry.
–IANS
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