People in many cities rely on buses, mostly contract carriages operated by the government and various private companies, for inter-state commutes. One such bus trip from Kerala’s Kozhikode to Bengaluru took a terrifying turn on Monday (November 24th) when is visibly drunk driver threatened passengers to crash the bus and kill them all. The passengers engaged in a heated argument with him, which one of them captured on video. This clip was later shared online, triggering action from authorities, against the offenders.
This incident happened in a bus operated by ‘Bharathi Travels’. It was on its way to Bengaluru from Kerala’s Kozhikode (also known as Calicut), when the passengers noticed unusual behaviour from the driver. It was late in the night and he was driving recklessly through the highway. They soon found out that he was heavily intoxicated. Passengers reportedly found liquor bottles inside the vehicle.
Ahamed Sanobar, who had boarded from Kozhikode, was one of the first to realize that something was wrong with the crew. He later stated that both the driver and the cleaner were heavily drunk then. The driver continued to speed, as passengers started confronting him together.
Things escalated when the drunk driver allegedly threatened passengers, saying he would crash the bus if they continued to question him. More than 35 were onboard at the time, including kids and families.
Sanobar said that they even had to physically confront the driver to make him stop the bus. After it came to a complete halt, he started filming the crew.
By then, the cleaner had already slept under the influence of alcohol. In the video, the intoxicated driver is seen arguing with the passengers who questioned his act. He initially refuses to turn the engine off, but eventually yields. It is evident from the clip that he is totally out of his senses.
Some reports also say that the drunk driver fled the scene soon after the confrontation. The journey continued only after a replacement driver arrived from Bengaluru. Sanobar later filed a complaint with the police.
Even the video racked up views and sparked massive outrage online. It, in a way, has exposed the terribly unsafe side of long-distance private bus and contract carriage operations. Comments on various social media platforms exposed more such shocking incidents from different parts of the country.
Looks like the crew being drunk, cleaners sleeping through duty, crew behaving aggressively with passengers and rash driving are all common sights on buses operated by different companies in many Indian cities. The picture, indeed, is scary!
Bengaluru is, in fact, an important destination for travellers from Kerala. Most of them rely on private buses. Most seats are sold out on weekends and during peak season. A lot of private players already have multiple services operational in this route.
In cases like these, passengers end up paying high prices for an extremely dangerous ride. Netizens have called for stricter enforcement of rules within this industry.
As the video went viral, the Enforcement Wing of the Kozhikode RTO came up with strict action. The bus, operating on the Kozhikode- Bengaluru- Chennai route, was soon seized.
Joint RTO (Enforcement) C. S. Arun Kumar said that a notice will be issued to the owner, asking him to produce the driver before officials. The vehicle was reportedly being operated without some of the required documents. Strict actions including cancellation of the driver’s licence, will follow. The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has also initiated a probe.