Two days after a devastating bus fire in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, claimed 20 lives, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V. S. Sajjanar issued a strongly worded statement, declaring that “drunk drivers are terrorists” and warning that such offenders would face no mercy for endangering innocent lives.
Sajjanar’s remarks came after a Hyderabad-Bengaluru private sleeper bus collided with a motorcycle that had earlier been involved in another accident. The crash killed the motorcyclist, Shiva Shankar, and 19 passengers aboard the bus. The Commissioner stated that the biker was intoxicated at the time and had caused the collision.
Describing such behaviour as “acts of terror on the roads” and a “criminal act of negligence”, Sajjanar wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Drunk drivers are terrorists. Period. Drunk drivers are terrorists, and their actions are nothing short of acts of terror on our roads. The horrific Kurnool bus accident, which claimed the lives of 20 innocent people, was not an accident in the truest sense. It was a preventable massacre, caused by the reckless and irresponsible behaviour of an intoxicated biker. This was not a road mishap but a criminal act of negligence that annihilated entire families within seconds.”
He further noted that CCTV footage showed the biker, identified as B. Shiva Shankar, refuelling his motorcycle at 2:24 a.m., just minutes before the fatal collision at 2:39 a.m.
“His decision to drive drunk turned a moment of arrogance into a tragedy of unimaginable scale,” he added.
Reiterating his stance, Sajjanar said that drunk drivers destroy “lives, families, and futures” and emphasised that the Hyderabad Police maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward drink-driving.
“Every single person caught driving under the influence will face the full force of the law. There will be no leniency, no exceptions, and no mercy for those who endanger innocent lives. It’s time we stop calling drunken driving a mistake; it is a crime that shatters lives and must be punished accordingly,” he said.
Case Against Biker And Pillion Rider
Police have registered a case of reckless driving against Shiva Shankar, who died after losing control of his motorcycle and colliding with the bus before crashing into the divider. The bus subsequently ran over the bike. The pillion rider, Erriswami, survived with minor injuries.
According to SP Patil, the duo had stopped at a local petrol station shortly before the incident. A viral video shows Shankar, allegedly intoxicated, struggling to balance the bike after refuelling.
The FIR, lodged by Erriswami, confirms that both men had consumed alcohol before setting off on their journey.
What Triggered Deadly Fire?
Forensic experts revealed that the private sleeper bus, travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, was carrying 234 smartphones worth approximately Rs 46 lakh, being transported by a trader through a logistics company. Lithium-ion batteries within the devices are believed to have exploded after the initial fire broke out, rapidly engulfing the passenger cabin.
Investigators determined that the bike became trapped under the bus, causing a fuel leak at the front, which ignited upon contact with sparks from the collision. The ensuing explosion set off the inferno, and the aluminium flooring of the bus melted in the intense heat, worsening the devastation.
Reports from the Andhra Pradesh Fire Services and Forensic Department confirmed that the smartphone consignment and the bus’s own battery pack accelerated the spread of the blaze.
Meanwhile, police have filed a case against the bus driver, Lakshmaiah, for negligence and overspeeding under Sections 125(a) (endangering human life) and 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The driver and his assistant, Siva Narayana, are currently in police custody.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
