Dumper driver has 2 driving licences: Cops

Manish Sirhindi

Tribune News Service

Ambala, April 1

A day after two students and five college lecturers were killed in a head-on collision between a college bus and a dumper on the Saha-Sahjadpur road, the police investigation today pointed out that dumper driver Rohit had two driving licences believed to be fake. He is also the owner of the vehicle.

The victims were from the SRM Institute of Engineering and Technology and Devi Dayal Group of Institutes.

Rohit has been booked under Section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC. He was today produced in court that sent him to two-day police remand.

Rohit told the police that he had a driving license issued by a licensing authority of the Uttar Pradesh, sources said. When he told that it was fake, Rohit said he could produce another one.

He is a resident of Loton village in the Naraingarh Assembly segment of this district.

“The authenticity of the driving licences is being verified. If these are found to be fake, the police will add more sections to the FIR,” Deputy Commission of Police (rural) Surinder Boria said.

Police on alert

The police, meanwhile, today wrote to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and state authorities to ensure proper dividers and markings on roads.

The NH-73, a major of which passes through the district, does not meet the norms listed for the national highways,” the DCP claimed. The accident occurred on the NH-73.

The district authorities constituted an 11-member squad to keep heavy, overloaded and over-speeding vehicles off roads. The squad team has been asked to monitor the movement of heavy vehicles.

The police today launched a challan drive in which 20 vehicle owners were fined for over-speeding.

Tragedy could have been worst

The tragedy could have been worst had the bus been ferrying all 52 passengers who used to take the bus to the college every day. The exams and internals had concluded a day before the accident. Therefore, only a few students and teachers were going to the college for the annual day celebrations that stand cancelled.

Taking a day off saved her life

Gagandeep Kaur, lecturer at the SRM Institute of Engineering and Technology, had taken a day off on Tuesday. She travelled to college in the bus that met with the accident. “I was speaking to a colleague when I heard a crashing sound and the call got disconnected. I tried to reconnect, but the phone on the other end got switched off,” Kaur said.

Grit and compassion saved two lives

College lecturer Vijay Partap, who was injured in the legs, saved the lives of two of his colleagues. After the accident with the sand-laden dumper, passengers were buried under sand.

On spotting upper half of the body of his colleague Sandeep Garg, Partap pulled him out to safety. The two then pulled out another colleague Aman out of sand.

12 discharged from hospital

Of the 17 injured admitted to the Ambala Cantt Civil Hospital and a local private hospital, 12 were discharged today.

The condition of six injured persons admitted to the PGIMER, Chandigarh, was said to be stable. All of them are conscious, but under observation. Doctors said one of them, Karan Uppal, might be operated upon for his spinal injury in a few days.