Hours after the dreadful bus accident occurred in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra, the state police has taken into custody the bus driver identified as Danish Sheikh (25) and booked him under section 304 (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. Sheikh has also been booked under sections 279, 184 and 134 of the Motor Vehicle Act.
The driver, during the interrogation, confirmed to the police that the accident occurred after one of the tyres of the bus burst on the Samruddhi Expressway. According to the reports, the conductor of the bus identified as Arvind Jagtap has also been taken into custody by the police and is being interrogated in the case.
However, Buldhana SP Sunil Khadasne has confirmed that only Sheikh has been booked under the relevant sections of the law and Jagtap is still being interrogated. Earlier, Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan had also said that the driver and the conductor have been taken into custody and that they have suffered no injuries.
#WATCH | "The bus driver and conductor have been taken into custody by police," says Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan on the Buldhana bus tragedy. pic.twitter.com/EUOJDOHyq7
— ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023
“The bus driver and conductor have been taken into custody by police. The bodies of the passengers who lost their lives in the tragic incident cannot be identified. We know their identities but it is difficult to trace who is who. The forensic teams will soon arrive at the spot and the procedure will be furthered,” Mahajan said.
Meanwhile, the owner of the victim bus Virendra Darna said that he had bought the bus in the year 2020 and all the papers related to the bus are in place. “We bought the bus in the year 2020. The bus driver Danish was experienced in driving. We have got information that the bus hit the road divider after tyre burst. Due to the presence of flammable items in the bus, the bus caught fire,” he said.
#WATCH | We bought the bus in the year 2020. The bus driver Danish was experienced in driving. We have got information that the bus hit the road divider after tyre burst. Due to the presence of flammable items in the bus, the bus caught fire: Virendra Darna, owner of the bus that… pic.twitter.com/52juNqi8Yb
— ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023
On Saturday, July 1, in a tragic incident, a bus burst into flames on the Samruddhi Mahamarg Motorway in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district, killing at least 26 people including 3 minors. The accident occurred around 1:30 am early morning on Saturday, while the bus was travelling from Yavatmal to Pune. According to police, the injured are receiving treatment at Buldhana Civil Hospital.
“Around 25 people are feared dead and several others injured after a bus carrying 32 passengers burst into flames on Buldhana’s Samruddhi Mahamarg motorway. The injured are being taken to Buldhana Civil Hospital,” Baburao Mahamuni, Buldhana’s Deputy Superintendent of Police said.
According to the police, the bus was carrying wedding guests when it crashed due to the rainy conditions. According to police, the bus’s diesel tank burst and caught fire.
