The water was so deep that the bus was completely submerged.
BHOPAL: In the aftermath of the Sidhi accident, locals claim that despite tremendous pressure on the narrow Chhuhiya Ghati road whose traffic bottleneck is being cited as one of the reasons the driver of the bus took different route it remained in deplorable condition for ages.
Families of the victims have also blamed authorities for not repairing the road and managing traffic better. Such a tragedy should never happen again, they say.
“The narrow road takes tremendous pressure. Vehicles bound for Rewa, Satna, Sidhi, Singrauli, Shahdol, and even Allahabad-Rewa and Varanasi-Rewa traffic take the same road,” said Umesh Tiwari, an activist with a local NGO, Roko Toko Thoko Abhiyaan.
Satna SP Dharmveer Singh said, “The accused was arrested late in the night from Basti area of Satna district and was handed over to the Sidhi police.
Meanwhile, Sidhi SP Pankaj Kumawat said, “The accused driver has been arrested and he has been booked under 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) is being increased. He is being interrogated further.
It is noteworthy that at least 50 people were killed when a packed passenger bus veered off the road and plunged into a canal in MP’s Sidhi district on Tuesday morning.