A day after 22 pilgrims were killed and 69 others injured in a bus accident in Jammu’s Akhnoor, six officials, including a motor vehicle inspector at the regional transport office in Kathua, were suspended on Friday.
The suspended officials include motor vehicle inspector Ranjeev Bhasin, junior assistant Sumit Magotra, and four MTS staff Ashwani Kumar, Aman Kumar, Keshav Singh, and Rakesh Kumar.
Transport secretary Niraj Kumar issued the order and appointed Paramvir Singh, additional secretary (technical), road safety council, J&K, as the inquiry officer. Singh will submit his report within seven days.
He will look into dereliction of duties by the officials concerned and recommend action against the officials.
The pilgrims, mostly from Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, were en route to Shivkhori shrine in Reasi district when the bus veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge while negotiating a sharp bend.
Locals and survivors claimed that the driver had panicked after seeing a fast-moving car coming from the opposite direction.
Jammu district commissioner Sachin Kumar Vaishya has also ordered a magisterial probe into the accident that snuffed out 22 lives.
{{/usCountry}}Jammu district commissioner Sachin Kumar Vaishya has also ordered a magisterial probe into the accident that snuffed out 22 lives.
{{/usCountry}}“DM @justcsachin has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the cause of the tragic accident near Akhnoor today. ADM Jammu shall submit a report within 7 days,” Vaishya wrote on ‘X’, formerly Twitter. Other officers have also been tasked to provide necessary assistance.
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