Bus driver walks free in road accident case

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 16

A Punjab Roadways bus driver was acquitted by a local court in a case in which a CRPF constable was died after being allegedly run over by the vehicle while crossing the road. The complainant and eyewitness turned hostile in the case.

A total of 15 to 16 witnesses were available in the case. However, only five of them were examined as others failed to appear during the trial.

As per the prosecution case, pedestrian Mukesh Kumawat died after being run over by the bus (PB07-S-4303) driven by Parminder Singh of Tarn Taran, on the main road near the ISBT, Sector 43. The driver was booked under Sections 279, 337 and 304-A, IPC, on December 6, 2013. It was alleged that he was driving at a high speed and had not switched on the headlights of the bus.

The complainant, auto-rickshaw driver Tirath Ram Shukla, who was also the eyewitness in the case, had said the victim was crossing the road and came under the tyre of the bus. However, during the hearing in the court, he turned hostile and said he did not witness the accident.

While Ram Bilas Acharya, who was with the victim at the time of the accident, could not appear before the court for his statement as he had got transferred to some other station by then. While another key witness, who was the investigating official in the case, passed away during the trial of the case.

Defence lawyer Gaurav Kathuria said the prosecution witness did not support the police story. There was no witness in the case while the complainant and the eyewitness turned hostile.

“We also got the benefit of doubt from the court as the police failed to prove that he was crushed by the bus. There was no mark of blood on the tyre, road or his body. Even the shirt was not taken in possession to prove blood stains. Besides, there was no zebra crossing, pedestrian way or traffic lights on the way, from where the victim said to have crossed,” Kathuria said.