Berhampur: The driver of the bus involved in a mishap in which 10 people were electrocuted and burnt to death here in Ganjam district was arrested Tuesday for rash and careless driving, a police officer informed.
The tragedy occurred Sunday afternoon when the private bus carrying around 40 people for a marriage engagement ceremony at Chikarada came in contact with 11 KV power transmission line at Mandarajpur under Golanthara police station limits.
Soon after the accident, the driver of the vehicle, Gagan Bihari Jena (50) of Akatala village in the district jumped from the bus and fled the site.
Jena was picked up from the resident of his fiancé where he had been hiding. He has been booked for rash and careless driving which led to the tragic incident, said sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Berhampur Sadar, Jayant Kumar Mohapatra.
Police had launched a search operation to nab the driver of the bus after registering a case after the mishap.
“Acting on a tip-off about the presence of the driver in his home, a police team rushed there and arrested him, said the SDPO. The driver has been booked under sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt, endangering lives due to negligent act), 304 (A) (causing death by negligence) and 38 (person concerned in criminal act may be guilty of different offences) of IPC and 192 of Motor Vehicle Act, said police.
Though Jena has a valid driving license for driving heavy vehicle, his license was been suspended for the next three months by the regional transport officer (RTO) Ganjam.
“We have suspended his (Jena) driving license for next three months on the recommendation of a joint inspection committee, which is inquiring into the mishap,” said RTO, Ganjam, Sanjay Biswal.
PNN