Culpable homicide charge for Howrah bridge accident

KOLKATA: The police have slapped stringent culpable homicide not amounting to murder case against two private bus drivers involved in the Howrah bridge accident that killed one accountant and left six others injured on Saturday. The cops are also planning to enforce traffic discipline on the bridge and have introduced spot fines for bus-lane violation on the bridge.

According to police, they suspect the involvement of a third bus, which has so far evaded the cop radar, in the accident.Cops said they have summoned the bus driver on route 24B.
The Howrah bridge traffic guard has found images of a third bus plying on route 24B being present right behind the bus plying on route 73. “It seems that the route 41 bus too took the extreme right lane, but it was coming from the opposite direction. The 41 route bus came in front of the bus of route 73 and collided with the latter from the right side. Victim Manoj Kumar Jain, who was on the footboard, fell on the road and run over by the bus on route 24B that was travelling on the extreme left lane towards Kolkata and was also competing with the bus on route 73,” said police.
“Even as the driver of route 73 got stuck in the wheel, the two other buses escaped the spot. However, we will go for some more tests and record statements to establish this theory,” said a senior police officer from the traffic headquarters at Lalbazar. Officers said the traffic brass was speaking to North Port police (that has registered the FIR) and sharing their inputs, including video footage. The FIR has not mentioned about the third bus. The fatal squad of traffic police is likely to probe the case.
According to Howrah traffic guard sources, they have made three visible changes after the accident. “One, we have decided to slap cases on any bus that does not follow the bus lane on the bridge. Two, all drivers are being verified and their pending cases are being looked into. And three, we are installing new road furniture to ensure that vehicles follow lanes properly on the bridge,” said a senior police officer.
Police said that it was clear that all three buses were racing at the time of the accident. “Around 3.10pm on November 23, the accused persons being the drivers of the bus No. WB-11C-6049 of route No. 73 and bus No. WB-04G-5700 of route number 41 drove their vehicles along Howrah Bridge from west to east direction and east to west, respectively in rash and negligent manner despite having knowledge that it can cause death and damage to others. They engaged themselves in an unhealthy competition to pick up more passengers for their financial gains and collided face-to-face with each other in high speed and caused injury to six persons. One of them Manoj Jain (42) was declared “brought-dead” at the hospital. Both the buses were impounded in damaged condition,” the FIR stated.