Driver of bus involved in Sunday's mishap arrested by police

The driver of the bus involved in a mishap in which 10 people were electrocuted and burnt to death in Odishas Ganjam district was arrested on Tuesday for rash and careless driving, a police officer said.

The tragedy occurred on 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 incident, 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 his house 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 has been suspended for the next three months by the regional transport officer (RTO) Ganjam.

"We have suspended his 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.

The Odisha government on Monday had placed four engineers - two each from Energy and Rural Development departments - under suspension in connection with the bus tragedy.

Taking a serious view of the tragedy, the state government has directed the officials concerned to ensure that all sagging electricity supply wires should be raised to the standard height. All 11 KV wires must be at least 20 feet above the ground, a senior official said.