A driver for the city's Ama Bus service was taken into custody by police on Saturday evening following a tragic morning collision at the bustling Rupali Square in Bhubaneswar. The accident resulted in the death of an auto-rickshaw driver and left two passengers wounded.
Details of the Tragic Collision
The bus driver, identified as 55-year-old Sachitra Kumar Sahoo, has been charged under Section 105 (culpable homicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Authorities stated that Sahoo could not provide a clear explanation for the cause of the crash. Police officials, after reviewing CCTV footage, confirmed that the bus plowed into the rear of a stationary auto-rickshaw.
Eyewitness accounts describe the Ama Bus traveling at high speed before it slammed into the auto-rickshaw, which was waiting at the traffic signal. The force of the impact propelled the three-wheeler forward, causing it to crash into a school bus that was stopped ahead in the queue.
Victims and Immediate Aftermath
The auto-rickshaw driver, Vishnu Patro (62) from Binjharpur in Jajpur district, died instantly at the scene. One of the passengers, 21-year-old student Namita Pradhan, suffered a fractured hand and a minor head injury. The second passenger, Ramani Nayak, escaped with minor scratches.
Following the collision, the bus driver and conductor allegedly fled. Enraged locals at Rupali Square then vandalized the involved bus. Two other Ama Buses that passed through the junction around the same time were also damaged by the agitated crowd. A police team from Saheed Nagar, along with Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena, rushed to control the situation. The injured woman was promptly taken to a hospital by police.
Compensation and a Pattern of Incidents
The Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), which operates the Ama Bus service, announced financial aid for the victims. The organization will provide Rs 2 lakh to the family of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to each injured individual. In a statement, CRUT added that officials are coordinating with other government departments to facilitate further compensation for the auto-rickshaw driver's next of kin.
In a concerning repeat at the same location later on Saturday, another Ama Bus hit a biker. Fortunately, no serious injuries or major damage were reported from this second incident.
This fatal crash marks the third time in a single month that an Ama Bus has been involved in a deadly event. On December 26, a biker was knocked down by an Ama Bus on Bharatpur-Chandaka Road, and on December 5, another biker was struck by a bus near Satsang Vihar.
Road safety activist PV Raman expressed deep concern, noting that the frequency of such accidents is alarming. He remarked that the city bus service, once celebrated as the best in the state, is now becoming notorious for the accidents caused by its vehicles. The Saturday tragedy has reignited crucial debates about citizen safety on Bhubaneswar's roads.
