Five people, including three women and an eight-year-old boy, were killed and 40 injured in a bus accident on their way back from a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) rally in Dumka. Their bus, which was hired as part of the rally organisation, was allegedly overloaded and the driver was allegedly half asleep.
The bus, moving at a high speed, hit a tree by the road near Kachuwabandh village under Sarath police station, around 270km northeast of capital Ranchi, at the early hours of Sunday. Deoghar deputy commissioner (DC) Rahul Kumar Sinha said that the accident took place around 4am. “Five persons died on the spot, while 16 injured were brought to Sadar and a few other private hospitals in Deoghar,” he said.
Police said that the deceased were identified as Badal Hansda, 60, Pabnit Besra, 38, Surajmani Soren, 33, Gulabi Murmu, 27, and her son Sunil Marandi,8. One of the injured, Rakha Murmu, 26, said that more than 70 villagers had boarded the bus, which started from Dumka around 2.45am, heading for Madhupur in Deoghar. “The bus was in full speed and the driver seemed to be dozing, which led to the accident,” Murmu said.
She said that they went to participate in the JMM rally, organised to mark the party’s foundation day, at Dumka on Saturday night. JMM, which was founded on February 3, 1973, celebrates its foundation day in Dumka every year.
{{/usCountry}}She said that they went to participate in the JMM rally, organised to mark the party’s foundation day, at Dumka on Saturday night. JMM, which was founded on February 3, 1973, celebrates its foundation day in Dumka every year.
{{/usCountry}}Local people said that since the accident occurred before daybreak, the injured persons remained lying on the road for an hour. As soon as the locals got news of the mishap, they reached the spot along with the police and helped with the rescue. The injured were brought to the Community Health Centre (CHC), and then referred to Deoghar Sadar hospital. People with minor injuries were released after first aid.
Deputy commissioner Sinha said, “After post-mortem, the bodies were handed over to family members. The district administration has paid ₹20,000 to each family for last rites under the social security scheme.”
Deoghar civil surgeon Dr Krishna Kumar said that the condition of eight persons among the injured was critical. “Neuron cases would be referred to better hospitals out of the district, if required,” Kumar said.
BJP legislator and labour and employment minister Raj Paliwar; JMM leader and former assembly speaker Shasank Sekhar Bhokta; and JMM leader and former minister Haji Hussain Ansari also reached the hospital. Paliwar announced ₹50,000 ex gratia from the MLA fund to the family of each deceased — all the victims were from his Madhupur assembly constituency. “I would talk to the chief minister for government assistance to the injured people and their better treatment,” the minister said.
The BJP legislator held the JMM responsible for the tragic incident. “I don’t want to politicise the tragedy, but the way JMM leaders left the villagers in the lurch after the rally in Dumka late at night was sheer negligence. When women and children were called to participate in the rally, it was the JMM leaders’ duty to ensure their safe return to the villages,” said Paliwar.
However, JMM leader Ansari said, “It was merely an accident, which should not be politicised for political gains. The government should ensure better treatment of the injured rather than be involved in mud-slinging.”
EOM