Lucknow tragedy: Bus was overcrowded; driver, conductor fled after fire, say survivors

LUCKNOW: Initial probe into the sleeper bus fire accident, which took place on Thursday, pointed towards two key reasons — gross negligence by the driver and conductor who abandoned the vehicles and fled, and overcrowding — there were 80 passengers onboard, beyond the capacity.Survivors alleged that instead of dousing the fire or evacuating passengers, the driver and conductor halted the bus and fled."The front door was jammed and we couldn't get out," said a grieving Ram Balak Mahato whose two minor children died in the blaze. "Had they stayed back and helped break the windows or open the cabin doors, my children would have been saved," he added.The bus was operating under unsafe conditions. Anurag Rai, a survivor, said the bus had 80 passengers—more than double its permitted capacity."From the aisle to the sleeper berths, people were crammed in every available space. The AC was not working and when we protested, the driver and conductor verbally abused us. They even locked the sleeper cabin doors from outside," Rai said. Passengers paid Rs 2,000 each for what was promised to be an AC sleeper journey but were met with substandard and unsafe travel conditions.ACP Rajneesh Verma, who reached the spot, arranged for a private school bus to transport the survivors to the nearby Harkeshgadhi police outpost. Later, on the direction of SDM Ankit Shukla and district authorities, another vehicle was provided to take the passengers to their destinations. Food, water, and fruits were also arranged for them.