Bus crashes into N Delhi cemetery
NEW DELHI: An allegedly speeding cluster bus crashed into the boundary wall of a Christian cemetery at Prithviraj Road in central Delhi on Saturday, damaging nearly a dozen graves, police said.
Except for the driver, conductor and a marshal, the bus was empty and none of them was injured in the accident, police said. Police have registered a case of rash and negligent driving against the driver, 29-year-old Sanjay Kumar, at the Tughlaq Road police station and the bus was impounded, officers said. The driver of the bus was later arrested, they added.
Cluster buses are run in the city by the Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit System (DIMTS), a joint venture of the Delhi government and IDFC Foundation.
According to the police, they were informed at around 7am about the accident. The bus was on its way to ply from Jawahar Lal Nehru stadium to Karampura.
“A police team reached the spot and found the bus in a damaged condition. A wall of the cemetery and a few graves were damaged as the bus had run over them. The driver of the bus, conductor and marshal were present there,” deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Pranav Tayal said.
“The bus was going for duty on route number 408. While taking a left turn from Humayun Road, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it crashed into the wall of the cemetery. Nobody was hurt in the accident,” said DCP Tayal.
An inspection of the bus will be carried out to ascertain the exact reason behind the accident, police said. “Whether the reason behind the crash was the speed or a mechanical fault will only be established after the inspection,” a senior police officer said.
DIMTS was yet to issue a comment on the accident. Delhi Cemeteries’ Committee secretary Eugene Ratnam said at least 12 graves were damaged, four-five of which were recent ones. “We will seek compensation for the damaged graves,” Ratnam said.