The rider of the bike that triggered the tragic bus fire in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district, killing 19 passengers, was under the influence of alcohol, the forensic report has confirmed.
According to the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL), Kurnool, B Shiva Shankar (22), who died after his bike skidded off the road and hit a divider, was drunk at the time of the accident. Kurnool District Superintendent of Police B Vikrant Patil told reporters on Sunday that viscera tests confirmed the presence of alcohol in his body.
Shiva Shankar’s friend, Erriswamy, who was riding pillion, admitted to police that both had consumed liquor prior to the crash.
Police said Shiva Shankar died on the spot after hitting the divider near Chinnatekur, while Erriswamy, who suffered minor injuries, fled in panic after witnessing the bus catch fire. He told investigators that he had dragged Shiva Shankar’s body to the roadside and was about to move the bike when a speeding private bus rammed into it and dragged it for some distance.
The bus, which was carrying 46 passengers including two drivers and was travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, went up in flames. Nineteen passengers, including two children, were charred to death, while 27 others, including both drivers, escaped by breaking open glass windows.
Investigations revealed that the bus dragged the bike for about 200 metres, and the resulting friction combined with fuel leakage from the bike caused the massive blaze that engulfed the double-decker sleeper coach.
Police later confirmed the presence of a second person through CCTV footage from a petrol pump captured minutes before the crash and picked up Erriswamy from his native village, Tuggali, on Saturday.
Meanwhile, an FIR was registered on a complaint by one of the passengers. Bus driver Miriyala Lakshmaiah and V. Kaveri Travels owner Vemuri Vinod Kumar were booked under BNS Sections 125(a) and 106(1) for causing death by rash or negligent act.
A separate FIR was also registered over the bike accident. Based on Erriswamy’s complaint, a case of negligence and drunk driving was filed against the deceased, Shiva Shankar, at Ulindakonda police station.
Police said the bus driver apparently failed to notice the Pulsar bike lying on the road, leading to the horrific crash. Two other buses that passed the same stretch earlier had managed to avoid the bike.
Authorities are also probing whether Lakshmaiah obtained his heavy-vehicle licence using a fake academic certificate. The driver, who reportedly studied only up to Class 5, is suspected to have secured a licence with a forged Class 10 certificate. Under transport rules, heavy-vehicle drivers must have studied at least up to Class 8.
Officials are also investigating alleged violations by the bus owner for converting the vehicle into a sleeper coach. The bus, which was operating between Telangana and Karnataka via Andhra Pradesh, was originally registered in Daman and Diu in 2018 and re-registered in Odisha earlier this year.