A speeding pink bus is seen blocking the path of a private ambulance on a highway in Kerala. For over 1 minute, the private bus simply refuses to give way to the ambulance which is desperate to find a gap on the road and make its way forward.
The hot pursuit ends when the ambulance finally manages to overtake the pink bus. However, what happens next is shocking. The two vehicles pull over and the driver of the bus drags the ambulance driver out and assaults him, presumably for outpacing the bus on the highway.
The 1.48 second video which has now gone viral on social media was captured on the Kozhikode-Kollegal highway near Engapuzha town, where the incident took place at 7 am on Monday.
The assaulted driver of the private ambulance has been identified as Siraj. According to the Thamarassery police who are investigating the case, Siraj was returning to Kozhikode after dropping a body from the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital all the way to the neighbouring district of Wayanad.
Meanwhile, the Thamarassery police have arrested the bus driver, 45-year-old Mohammad Shafi, and the cleaner, 29-year-old Rithesh. The duo have been booked under IPC Section 321 (voluntarily causing hurt) and section 194 of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019.
Section 194E of the amended MV Act states that “whoever while driving a motor vehicle fails to draw to the side of the road, on the approach of a fire service vehicle or of an ambulance or other emergency vehicle as may be specified by the State Government, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with a fine of Rs 10,000 or with both.”
Although the police are yet to confirm the details of the bus, the video clearly shows the label DLT on the back of the bus. DLT or DreamLiner Travels is a popular private bus service plying in Chennai, Kerala, Karnataka and other south Indian states. The video focuses on the name plate of the bus which reads KL 01 B 1671.
“We are still investigating the case and are yet to get details of the private bus. Officers have gone to the site to gather more details,” an officer from Thamarassery police told TNM.
The video was shot by bike riders who were right behind the bus and the ambulance when the incident took place.
Meanwhile, Siraj was admitted to the Thamarassery Taluk Hospital where he is currently being treated for minor injuries.