The incident occurred on Thursday when a bus carrying 86 devotees from Haryana’s Kurukshetra veered off the Jammu-Poonch highway.
In the aftermath of a tragic bus accident that claimed 22 lives and injured 64 others in Jammu district, six transport department officials were suspended on Friday for alleged dereliction of duty.
The incident occurred on Thursday when a bus carrying 86 devotees from Haryana’s Kurukshetra en route to the Shiv Khori shrine in Reasi district veered off the Jammu-Poonch highway and plunged into a 150-foot gorge. The driver lost control while navigating a blind curve at Tungi Morh in the Chowki Chora area.
Transport Department Secretary Niraj Kumar ordered the suspensions and a probe following a high-level meeting chaired by Principal Secretary of the Home Department Chandraker Bharti.
“Pending inquiry into the conduct and dereliction of duties, officials posted in the Regional Transport Office in Kathua (Lakhanpur) are placed under suspension with immediate effect and are attached to the office of the Transport Commissioner, Jammu,” Kumar stated in the order.
The suspended officials include Motor Vehicle Inspector Ranjeev Bhasin, Junior Assistant Sumit Magotra, and multi-tasking staff members Ashwani Kumar, Aman Kumar, Keshav Singh, and Rakesh Kumar.
Additional Secretary (Technical) Paramvir Singh will lead the inquiry into the conduct and performance of the suspended officials and is expected to submit a report with recommendations within a week.
The Jammu district magistrate has also initiated a magisterial inquiry into the incident, with a report expected within seven days. The district administration is monitoring the treatment of the injured, who are being cared for at the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital.
Deputy Commissioner of Jammu Sachin Kumar stated that the treatment of the injured is ongoing and that the administration is in contact with authorities in the passengers’ home regions of Hathras and Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.
A 24-hour helpline has been established to provide information and assistance to the relatives of the victims. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to those injured.
According to some injured passengers, the accident occurred when the driver was negotiating a blind curve and a speeding car approached from the opposite direction.
However, some passengers blamed the driver for overloading the vehicle.
This accident is the deadliest in the region since November 15, 2023, when a bus in Doda district skidded off the road and fell into a 300-foot gorge, resulting in 39 deaths and 19 injuries.
