Lucknow bus fire tragedy: Driver arrested; conductor, owner still at large
Lucknow police arrested bus driver Shankar Yadav after a fire killed five passengers, including two children. Efforts to find other suspects continue.
The driver of a private bus that caught a massive fire, in which five passengers were killed, near Kisan Path Marg on May 15 has been arrested, Lucknow police said. Among the five killed, two were children.
“The driver, Shankar Yadav, 45, was apprehended from Muzaffarpur in Bihar on Sunday. He has been sent to judicial custody. Efforts to nab other accused in the case are underway,” said Mohanlalganj assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Rajneesh Verma.
However, the bus conductor and owner were yet to be arrested.
The bus, which was en route to Karnal in Haryana from Muzaffarpur, was reportedly overcrowded with around 100 passengers on board despite its capacity to carry not more than 60 people. Near Kisan Path Marg, it began emitting smoke and soon caught the bus was enveloped in fire.
“On the complaint of passenger Ram Balak Mahato, an FIR was registered against the bus driver and conductor alleging that they ignored early signs of trouble. Once the fire escalated, the duo fled without making any attempt to rescue passengers,” the ACP added.
After the incident, deputy commissioner of police (South) Shashank Singh had constituted teams to trace and arrest the absconding accused.
Police said that the accused has been charged under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 181 (negligent conduct), 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 125(a) & 125(b) (acts endangering life or personal safety) and 324(4) (grievous hurt by fire).
