One dead, three injured as roadways school trainee driver mows them down

A trainee driver lost control of a bus, killing one commuter and injuring three. He took the bus without permission before fleeing the scene.

At least one commuter died, and three others were critically injured in Sector 37 after a trainee driver of the Haryana roadways driving school lost control of a bus which he took without permission on Friday, said police.

Mangled remains of the parked car after the accident. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Police said that the incident took place between 2.30 pm and 3 pm.

According to police, the 30-year-old trainee driver from Kadipur in Sector 10 was returning to the parking spot of Leisure Valley Park in Sector 29 from where he had taken the bus without permission between 12.30pm and 1pm.

Investigators said that the deceased was identified as Ravi Shankhar, 51, originally from Satna in Madhya Pradesh. He was rushed to the civil hospital but was declared dead.

According to eye witnesses, at least three to four more commuters and pedestrians were injured in the incident; however, police said that they had received information about only one injured person.

Investigators said that the driver had entered narrow by-lanes and ended up hitting multiple vehicles.

They said the locals pelted stones on the bus and chased it in an attempt to stop the bus; however, the driver sped away, returned the bus and fled the parking lot.

A Haryana roadways inspector, Vidyanand, said two training buses with at least 31 students and supervisors had left the depot at 10.34 am on Friday. “We were having lunch when the trainee sneaked out with the bus from the parking lot. When he returned, I had asked him where he had gone, but he immediately fled. The bus he brought back was completely damaged,” he said, adding that this is the first time that such an incident has happened.

Haryana roadways officials said that their school trains candidates for heavy vehicles and helps them to get driving licences according to vehicle category. They said these training buses don’t need any ignition keys and could be started by anyone who enters inside.

Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gururam police, said the incident was recorded in a CCTV camera near the accident site. “It seems he took the bus on a joy ride. An FIR was registered against the suspect under sections 106 (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash driving) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Sector 37 police station. Efforts are underway to arrest the driver as soon as possible,” he added.