UP: Bus runs over sleeping footpath dwellers in Lucknow, kills two minor sisters

The bus driver escaped leaving the vehicle, that was carrying passengers from Delhi to Ayodhya, at the spot.

An FIR was lodged against the driver under Indian Penal Code sections 304A (causing death by negligence), 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others). The bus has been seized. None of the passengers were hurt.

Mohammad Ashraf, Station House Officer (SHO) of Jankipuram police station, said the incident took place around 6 am Thursday when the private bus, with an UP number plate (UP43T-8151), lost control and hit an auto-rickshaw before running over the footpath dwellers near Engineering College intersection.

“Around 10 persons were sleeping on the pavement and seven of them were ran over by the bus. While two girls, both sisters aged 13 and 6 years, died on the spot, five others, including their father and four-year-old brother, were seriously injured,” said Mohammad Ashraf.

The deceased have been identified as Pooja (6) and her elder sister Khushboo. The injured include their father Dinesh (40) and brother Karan, while their mother, who was also sleeping on the footpath, escaped unhurt. Other injured were identified as Akram (50), Babbu (20) and Saddam (30), all daily-wage workers. They used to sleep on the pavement everyday, the SHO said.

While Dinesh, Babbu and Saddam belong to Kamla Nagar area of Sitapur district, Akram is a resident of Lucknow’s Hasanganj area.

“There are two possibilities leading to the accident. The driver might have lost control over the vehicle after breaks failed or he fell asleep, but this would be confirmed only after a detailed investigation and arrest of the driver,” added the SHO.