Delhi cop dies, 24 hurt in Gurugram bus accident

The bus started from the Sarai Kale Khan Interstate Bus Terminus (ISBT) in Delhi at 7.30am and was headed towards Jaipur, when the accident took place between 9am and 9.15am

A Delhi Police constable died and at least 24 others were injured when a speeding Rajasthan Roadways bus jumped lanes and crashed into a car at Panchgaon Chowk on the Delhi-Jaipur highway on Saturday morning, police said.

The Rajasthan Roadways bus, after the accident. (HT Photo)

The deceased cop was identified as Ashok Kumar, 39, who came from Golawas village in Alwar. Investigators said he was posted at the Delhi Police commissioner’s office and was going home when the accident took place. The bus started from the Sarai Kale Khan Interstate Bus Terminus (ISBT) in Delhi at 7.30am and was headed towards Jaipur, when the accident took place between 9am and 9.15am.

Sandeep Kumar, public relations officer of the Gurugram police, said the accident took place due to speeding and reckless driving by the driver. “The car had climbed on the expressway from a connecting road to move towards Jaipur. Meanwhile, the bus driver, due to speeding, failed to slow down the bus and took a sharp turn to avoid collision,” he said.

There were at least 20 passengers in the bus and four more in the Maruti WagonR the bus collided with, police said.

Kumar said that after hitting the car, it went over the divider and toppled on the opposite carriageway, injuring and trapping passengers.

Police said other commuters alerted them and locals started pulling out passengers from a hole in the roof of the bus, caused due to the accident. The commuters in the car were also pulled out and all of them were admitted to hospitals, police said, adding that many suffered fractures.

The Delhi Police constable, however, died during treatment at a private hospital in Manesar, they said.

Police said that a passenger, 35-year-old Astha Raghav who was travelling in the bus with her nine-year-old daughter, alleged that she and several other passengers had cautioned the driver multiple times to slow down and drive safely, but he kept speeding. Raghav, a Shahdara resident, was travelling to Neemrana.

Police said the Rajasthan state transport authorities have been contacted to ascertain the identity of the bus driver, who fled the spot.

On Raghav’s complaint, an FIR was registered against the bus driver under sections 106 (causing death by negligence), 281 (rash driving) and 125 (a) (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Bilaspur police station.