Andhra Pradesh bus tragedy: Vemuri Kaveri Travels owner added as 2nd accused in case; biker was drunk, confirms report

TIRUPATI: Police probing the Kurnool bus fire, which killed 19 passengers, on Sunday said that biker Shiva Shankar – whose bike triggered the blaze – was drunk. Shankar had died after hitting the divider, but his bike was lying on the road when the the ill-fated bus dragged it. Police have now booked a case against Shankar for rash driving among other sections.

"The report of the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) has confirmed traces of alcohol in the viscera of the deceased. Based on this report, it has been established that Shiva Shankar was driving the vehicle under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident," Kurnool SP Vikrant Patil told reporters.




While 27 persons including the two drivers survived, 19 passengers were charred to death inside the bus in the accident in the wee hours of Friday. The bus was going from Hyderabad to Bengaluru.

The SP said that Shankar, a resident of Kurnool, had died on the spot in the self-inflicted accident near Chinna Tekuru village.

Preliminary inquiry of the excise department also revealed that Shankar purchased liquor from a licenced retail outlet, Renuka Ellamma Wines, located at Pedda Tekuru village in Kurnool. CCTV footage shows that he made two purchases from the shop – at 7:00pm and again at 8:25 pm on Thursday evening, just a few hours before the accident.

The bus driver, Miriyala Lakshmaiah, was not drunk at the time of accident, the SP said.

The SP said the case against Shankar was registered based on the FSL report and a complaint filed by pillion rider Erri Swamy at the Ulindikonda police station. Shankar has been booked under Sec 281 (rash driving that endangers human life), Sec 125 a (negligent behaviour endangering others lives) and Sec 106 (1) (Causing death due to rash driving) of BNSS.

Also, Vemuri Kaveri Travels owner Vemuri Vinod Kumar was also added as the second accused on Sunday in the initial case registered on Friday against bus driver Lakshmaiah.

Explaining the sequence of events which led to the tragedy, the SP said Shiva Shankar and Erri Swamy left from Lakshmipuram village at around 2am on Friday to drop off Swamy at his village Tuggali. They arrived at a local HP petrol station at 2.22 am, filled petrol for Rs 300, and left at 2.26 am, which is recorded in the CCTV cameras at the pump.

After travelling for around 3 km, Shankar lost control of his bike, which skidded off the road and rammed into a road divider. Shankar, who sustained severe head injuries, died on the spot and Erri Swamy moved his body close to the road divider, the SP said. But before Erri Swamy could move the bike from the middle of the road, the bus ran over it and dragged it for about 200 metres. The bike's fuel triggered the fire and within minutes the bus was engulfed, trapping the passengers inside, the SP said.

Following the accident, a frightened Erri Swamy went to his home, and he was finally caught by cops based on the CCTV footage.