12 people, including six women, killed in Himachal accident
Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Jul, 2022 11:23 AM
Shimla, July 4 (IANS) Twelve people, six of them women, were killed and three others injured on Monday when a private bus rolled into a gorge in the interiors of Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh, police said.
Most of the victims were locals and the bus was on its way from Shainshar to Kullu. The accident occurred close to Shainshar in the Sainj valley.
Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg said the Sainj-bound bus fell into the gorge at around 9.15 a.m.
The injured have been admitted to Regional Hospital in Kullu town.
Eyewitnesses said the administration has been facing a tough time extricating the victims from the badly-mangled bus.
People in the area began the rescue operation even before the local authorities reached the spot.
Expressing grief over the accident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the bus accident in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu is heart-rending and announced Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives.
"The bus accident in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh is heart-rending. In this tragic hour my thoughts are with the bereaved families," Modi was quoted as saying in a tweet by his office.
"I hope those injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected," he said.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced Rs 5 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased, whereas Rs 15,000 as immediate relief for the injured. He said free treatment would be provided to the injured.
Chief Secretary Ram Subhag Singh had directed the Financial Commissioner, Revenue, and the Divisional Commissioner of Mandi to reach the accident spot to supervise the rescue operation.
The official added that a case was registered on September 25, 2020, against the private firm and others on the allegations of causing losses to the tune of Rs 2040.63 crore to the consortium of 12 banks led by PNB.
The CBI had registered a case on April 13, 2016 on the request of Chandigarh Administration and had taken over the investigation of the FIR earlier registered at Police Station, Sector-26, Chandigarh.
Bishnoi, who was brought from New Delhi after procuring the transit remand from Patiala House court, was produced in a Mansa court in Punjab at around 4 a.m. amid high-level security after his medical check-up.
The police have also recovered an illegal weapon and live cartridge from the criminal. The accused has been identified as Aakash, a native of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.
The Punjab Police informed Delhi Police that the location of one of the phone numbers was traced to Delhi, and that the accused were changing their locations frequently. Acting on the tip-off, Delhi Police followed the leads obtained through technical surveillance and digital footprints.
