NEW DELHI, 8 October 2007 — Mob fury sparked by a speeding Blueline bus, which mowed down seven people and injured several others, halted traffic on the highway from Delhi to Agra yesterday morning. The dead included five women and a child. The accident occurred when the bus ran into a crowd crossing the road, while trying to overtake a stationary Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus from the wrong side at Ali Gaon, near Badarpur. With mangled bodies on bloodstained roads, enraged people stoned the killer bus.
They tried to set it ablaze and then blocked the Mathura Road that links Delhi with Agra and beyond. When the mob of about 3,000 strong stoned the police too, it led to clashes between the two, leading the police to use batons and fire tear gas.
The driver of the Blueline bus, route number 460, was said to be in an inebriated condition. While trying to overtake the DTC bus to grab passengers, he lost control of the vehicle, which ran over a group of people, some of whom were standing by the pavement and others were crossing the road. The accident occurred at about 9.30 a.m.
The driver was caught, while the conductor and the helper managed to escape.
Blaming the authorities for failing to end the killing spree of Blueline buses, a person at the spot said: “Why does this happen again and again? Innocent lives are taken because of these Blueline buses, yet no measures are taken against them. We want justice.”
The injured, admitted to hospitals, are said to be in stable conditions. Canceling the permit of the bus, Delhi government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
With this accident, the toll taken this year by Blueline buses in the capital city reached 93. It was 121 last year. Though the 4,000 Blueline buses form a crucial part of Delhi’s public transport system, the frequency with which they lead to accidents has led them to be known as the “killer fleet.” Most of the 488 fatal accidents that have taken place in the last three years, are linked to the Blueline service.
Expressing shock at the accident, Delhi’s Transport Commissioner D.M. Sapolia said: “This is very strange. We are trying to find out the reason of this accident. We are also investigating the reason of the failure of the speed governor (of the bus).”
