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Udhampur bus driver held, his licence cancelled over accident
Police arrested bus driver Rohit Kumar after a crash in Ramnagar killed 21 people. Investigations into the cause, including a potential tyre burst, are ongoing.
JAMMU: Police on Tuesday arrested the driver in connection with its investigation in the Monday accident which killed 21 people in Ramnagar’s Kaghote Morh area, officers aware of the matter said.
Manvir Singh, Station House Officer (SHO) of Ramnagar police station, said, “Today, we have arrested the bus driver, Rohit Kumar, in Ramnagar. He was absconding since Monday the bus plunged into a gorge.”
The private bus travelling from Ramnagar to Udhampur veered off the road at Kaghote Morh village and plunged into a nearly 70 feet deep gorge, killing 21 people.
A team of forensic experts visited the crash site on Tuesday.
Inspector Singh refused to share preliminary findings of the probe and said, “It would be premature to say anything at this stage. The claims of some passengers that a tyre burst caused the accident are also being investigated.”
“A forensic team today visited the crash site. Their report is also awaited,” he added.
A First Information Report (FIR) had been registered against the bus driver under sections 281, 125-A, 125-B and 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Meanwhile, the regional transport authority cancelled the driver’s HMV license, and registration certificate of the bus. Mudassir Iqbal, ARTO Udhampur, said, “The bus driver was issued a HMV license in 2018-19. Around five to six days ago, the bus owner had hired the driver”.
“We have cancelled the HMV license of the driver and registration certificate of the bus. Besides, the owner will not be able to claim insurance of the vehicle,” said Iqbal.
Documents accessed by HT showed that before Monday’s accident, six challans had been issued to the bus owner for violations such as speeding and dangerous driving.
