Tumkuru accident: Driver held, says steering was jammed

The private bus in turned turtle in Palavalli Katte village near Pavagada town in Tumakuru district on Saturday.

Tumkuru police on Sunday arrested the driver of the private bus who lost control of the vehicle, resulting in the death of five passengers and injuries to 25. Senior police officers said that in his statement, the driver, identified as Raghu, said that he lost control of the vehicle after his steering jammed while turning at a sharp curve.

Raghu and the conductor Murali, who sustained injuries in the accident, had fled the scene and were later tracked down by the investigation team. (File/Representative use)

The private bus in turned turtle in Palavalli Katte village near Pavagada town in Tumakuru district on Saturday.

Raghu and the conductor Murali, who sustained injuries in the accident, had fled the scene and were later tracked down by the investigation team.

“We have produced him before the magistrate and we have been given his custody. We are questioning him to get more details of what resulted in the accident. Since he had suffered injuries in the accident, we have to give him medical treatment before his entire statement is recorded,” said a senior police officer.

The officer added that even though Raghu claimed that there was a malfunction in the vehicle, police are awaiting a report from the transport department, who had inspected the vehicle.

He added that even though the cause of the accident will be known only after a detailed investigation, preliminary inferences show that the bus was overloaded, with passengers sitting on top of the bus.

Apart from the overloading, local residents have informed the police that the bus was being driven in a negligent manner.

Girish, a local resident, told HT that the two buses that were to ply on the route didn’t come, which resulted in the overcrowding of the bus.