SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 8: A dozen pilgrims including women, were hurt when their bus drove off the road and fell into a ditch near Debli on GT Road in the Govindpur police station area, about 22 kilometres from the district headquarters, at around 2 a.m. on Friday.
According to police, the tragedy occurred late at night while a bus carrying 68 pilgrims was returning to West Bengal’s Nadia district from Banaras.
Officer-in-charge of the Govindpur police station, Umesh Prasad Singh said that all of the injured were sent to the Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) in Dhanbad. They were discharged after receiving first-aid treatment. “At this time, arrangements are being made to send them to the Nadia district,” he stated.
According to one of the injured, the bus driver fell asleep at the wheel, causing the bus to slip and crash into a 10-foot ditch on the side of the road. At the time of the tragedy, the pilgrims were likewise in a deep sleep. The screams and shouts of pilgrims created chaos on the spot. After the incident, the bus driver managed to flee the scene. Residents from the neighbouring village came to their aid immediately and contacted the police.
However, as per some unofficial sources, the driver sped up the bus to avoid a contribution collection by the Durga Puja committee on the route at Govindpur Market, which resulted in the accident.
Following the information, Govindpur police arrived on the scene, removing trapped passengers from the bus and sending injured people to SNMMCH for treatment. Safe passengers sat on the Inter-State GT Road ( National Highway-2) with their belongings after the incident.
According to a passenger, they had left for a pilgrimage a week ago and were returning after visiting Ayodhya, Vrindavan, and Banaras.
