4 dead as bus hits seven factory workers in Noida
The bus driver was overtaking a truck when he hit the seven factory workers, said police. He is on the run and has now been dismissed from service by Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation
Four men were killed and three others critically injured when they were hit by a bus in Dadri in Gautam Budh Nagar late on Wednesday night.
The deceased men, Sankeshwar Kumar (25), who was from Khadia, Bihar; Mohari Kumar (22), who was from Banka, Bihar; Satish Shankar (25), who was from Meja, Uttar Pradesh and Gopal (34), who was a resident of Bagh village in Gautam Budh Nagar, worked at a Hero Motors factory. The three men who were injured, Anuj, Dharmaveer and Sandeep, also worked at the factory.
Their shift had ended at 11.30 pm and they were heading home when an Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation bus hit them, said additional deputy police commissioner (central Noida) Vishal Pandey.
Bystanders and passersby informed the police about the accident, after which a police team from Badalpur police station reached the spot and took the injured men to hospital. “The injured men were rushed to the District Hospital in Noida from where they were referred to Safdarjung hospital in Delhi. Their condition remains critical,” said Pandey.
The bus driver fled from the spot after the accident and is still on the run, he added.
“The bus has been impounded and the relatives of the deceased men have been informed. Police teams are coordinating with UPSRTC officials to trace the suspect,” said Pandey.
The driver, Devraj Singh (35), has been booked under sections 279 (rash driving), 338 (causing grievous hurt by an act which endangers human life) and 304A (death due to negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.
According to N P Singh, assistant regional manager (ARM), UPSRTC, Devraj is a contractual driver and has been with UPSRTC for the past 11 years. He has now been dismissed by the department.
“An inspection of the spot was carried out by the operation in-charge of Noida depot. It was found that the last recorded speed of the bus was 50 kmph. The driver has not been involved in any accident so far. In fact, in the last 11 months, none of the buses deployed with UPSRTC’s Noida depot has been involved in any accident,” said NP Singh.
He added that an inspection of the spot found that the bus was overtaking a truck when it hit the factory workers.
“Devraj has been found guilty of playing with the lives of passengers and tarnishing the corporation’s reputation and his contract with UPSRTC has been terminated,” said Singh.
Vikash Das, who is the brother of one of the deceased men, Sankeshwar, and also works at the same factory, said he learned about the accident after his shift got over.
“As I left the factory premises, I heard that an accident has taken place in which several workers were injured. I immediately rushed to the spot and found my brother at the spot, bleeding. Police took him to the hospital where he was declared brought dead,” Das said.
